What Makes a Hero?

    At one point or another, we have all dreamed of being the hero in the story of our lives. We want to be the “special” one who can overcome the odds to accomplish the feat of champions like the heroes in fairy tales do. So, what is the secret? What makes a character a hero?

In order to answer these questions, we can examine two literary heroes. The first is Siddhartha from Hesse’s famous novel of the same name, and the other is Moana from one of my favorite Disney movies. Even from the beginning of their “hero’s journey”, there are obvious differences between their philosophies and the philosophies of those around them. In Siddhartha’s “ordinary world”, everyone around him is perfectly content with following the ways of the Brahmins. Siddhartha takes part in these practices as well, even excelling in them, but he feels as though there is more out there for him. Similarly, Moana lives on a secluded island where everyone is happy with their societal roles. Moana tries to be a good chief-in-training for her people, but her soul is calling her towards exploring the ocean far beyond her home. These heroic characters do not just remain uncomfortably in their situations, however. They allow their differences from others to be their greatest strengths when they are finally called to begin their quest. 

Siddhartha’s main journey in the novel is to reach his personal form of enlightenment, and Moana’s is to return the heart of Te Fiti to save her dying island. Their journeys, however, expand to have results that are extremely meaningful. By the end of his journey, Siddhartha has discovered the beautiful “oneness” of the world, and Moana has helped her people to rediscover their history of voyaging. They did not make these realizations on their own, but instead were helped by a series of mentors, which are another integral part of the hero’s journey. Mentors give the hero the strength to fight through the hardest battles of their journeys. Govinda, Kamala, Kamaswami, and Vasudeva are just a few of the mentors that lead Siddhartha along his winding path to enlightenment. Similarly, Maui teaches Moana to be a wayfinder and her grandmother connects her with her heritage and the strengths within her. If it were not for these mentors, our heroes would not be as successful as they were. Maybe this is another commonality between all heroes: they are human, and they need help from others. 

Lastly, at the end of the hero’s journey when the hero has victoriously returned home, they remain humble. They have made a discovery that is bigger than themselves, and in their eyes the discovery is much more important than their heroic attempts to uncover it. At the end of the novel, Siddhartha cannot wait to openly share his wisdom with Govinda so he can benefit from it, and Moana runs into the arms of her parents because she is so grateful to see them again. 

In closing, a hero is a unique, yet humble and human, character who is able to uncover a world of mysteries for those around them.