Defining the Hero: From King Arthur to Luke Skywalker

There is a definition for a hero that will be ignored in this essay. A hero is never quantified by a few sentences that say they act this way when villains are around, they are being tempted by the devil, or they see a princess in need of saving. What a hero really is changes, but it can be related to the many different heroic tales that have been told from ancient times to modern times. Being a hero can be a charted or uncharted frontier; some writers will follow the basic guidelines while others will set out to break them. In understanding the hero characters in literature like King Arthur, in movies like Luke Skywalker, and in comic books like Batman will be summed up in short.

The rules say that heroes usually go out on a journey of their own at a young age. This has been followed in the stories of Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, and even Batman. Skywalker lost what he thought was his family. Frodo Baggins had to destroy the ring that could destroy his lands. Batman too lost his family, and he set out to learn everything he could in order to stop it from happening again. King Arthur was born a prince but had to live in the country under the guidance of Merlin. A hero does not always have to follow this rule; he can stay where he is and ignore the call of the quest. Spider Man never set out to find himself after a loved one was killed; instead he stayed in his home, New York, and learned everything he could there. Yet in most literature a journey will be made.

A hero must seek out evil on this journey. It really does not have to be sought out; it can be found while seeking something else-but it is always there. Luke Skywalker sought to defeat the evil in the "Star Wars" universe. He wanted to kill Darth Vader only to find out that this evil man was his father. Frodo Baggins needed to end the power of the ring and the evil Sauron's hold on it. Comic book heroes seek out evil in the exact fashion formulated: They protect their cities and worlds from those who are evil. Gotham would have been destroyed if Batman had not defeated The Joker or Two Face on countless occasions. New York might be a burning wreck if Spider Man and the Fantastic Four had not defeated the signature villains that threatened it so often. The hero will almost always win these battles, but when it turns out for the worse the hero's tale turns into a tragedy.

A hero must change on this journey at some point. The rule is that everyone grows up as they get older. King Arthur became a great man, but changed once he found out Lancelot was sleeping with Guenevere, his wife. Batman became king of Gotham in a sense, and he did this as he grew into a force that any villain had to deal with. Spider Man stopped being broke all the time and avoiding his boyhood crush Mary Jane. Luke Skywalker turned into one of the formidable Jedi, and into the hero for the rebellion in the "Star Wars" storyline. All characters change whether it be a novel, movie, or a comic book. The question the writers face is how they will change.

In the end defining a hero is quite like defining love: There is no easy way to do it, and even a dozen books would not be close enough. But heroes like King Arthur, Luke Skywalker, and Batman do have similarities which can be called upon for a general idea on what makes a hero. As long as there is an organized society and a way to put pen to the pad there will be stories of heroes.