Myths and Heroes: are heroes always good models?

Myths and Heroes

The definition of a myth ranges from a false belief to a collective identity or shared value (American dream) to a made-up story explaining natural or supernatural phenomena that do not have any logical justifications yet, such as the origin of rain for ancient tribes or the Lochness monster for today’s societies.

Traditional heroes, who are usually found in myths, are portrayed as flawless beings with god-like qualitiesthat are admired by many for their glorious deeds. These individuals will not be taken into account in order to properly illustrate the notion of heroes as good role models. Are heroes always good role models?

To answer this question, I will first focus on heroes in general that possess qualities deemed of a good role model. Then, I will address those that, despite their inability to be proper role models, are still considered heroes.

As many stories suggest, anyone can be a hero, whether they are fictitious characters from literature or the world of cinematography or even real people from socieities. With that said, heroes are very human, and to be human is to be flawed. The only clear distinction that exists between the two is their capability and search for improvement, of the world and of themselves. This search for change is exactly what makes them good role models regardless of how major their flaws may be. One of my favorite examples of this concept is the character Megamind from the movie Megamind. He gets a very satisfying and progressive redemption arc perfectly illustrating how difficult yet not impossible, it is to redeem oneself. His overall message is that it is never too late to be good no matter howmuch harm you may have caused in the past. He is a perfect role model for people of all ages regardless of starting out as a supervillain.

Going back to how human most heroes are, we must consider that not all of them possess examplary behaviors. Numerous heroes are considered as such through the seemingly valiant deeds they commit regardless of who they may be as people. A very famous example of this notion is Iron man. He is worshipped for his actions despite portraying an overall rather cocky and rude rich person who desires no change to better himself. Consequently, he is a terrible role model in spite of being called a hero. Other examples such as civil service workers usually receive lots of recognition due to their existence in the real world. Policemen, firefighters and paramedics are all venerated for their dedication and are called heroes despite their anonymity in most cases. Their personal lives are private and thus they cannot be role models let alone good ones. Some civil service workers are despicable and disgusting people with no signs of changing, and yet are still considered heroes because of the selfless jobs they hold.

In conclusion, whether or not you start out as a hero or a villain, a good role model is defined by their capability to recognize and own up to their flaws as well as their willingness to change and better themselves. The answer to my question is no, heroes are not always good role models, they cannot be.

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