What is a Hero?

Movies such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Raiders of the Lost Ark all have something in common: heroes. All these movies(except the Star Wars sequel trilogy) have a male protagonist. Some would argue that we don’t see more female protagonists/main characters in these movies because they feature some sort of romantic subplot where the main character has to save a damsel in distress or a similar cliche. That can definitely be supported by Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Heroic actions versus good actions can be thought of similar to how a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square. All heroic actions are good while not all good actions are heroic. Now, the concept of “good” can be subjective, especially when factoring in other points of view. For example, the WWI ace the Red Baron. He was a hero in the eyes of Germany, but he was feared by his enemies. For the purposes of this exploration, good actions are actions that benefit the greater good, selfless actions. Heroic actions, and many actions seen in these movies, are actions that require the character to risk him/herself for a selfless cause. Heroes, whether real life or fictional, serve as inspiration for us as humans. They drive us to achieve more than is necessary. They can inspire selfless intent and action in ordinary people. It can be argued that we do not need heroes, they are not essential to our survival. However, some may equate the conjuring of mythical deities and the like to a need for heroes. Bertolt Brecht once said, “Unhappy the land that needs heroes.” A land that needs heroes is absent of them or does not have enough of them. Since it does not have heroes, it is unhappy. Therefore, it can be argued that we need heroes to be happy.