I need a hero

Throughout history, kings and commoners alike have relied on the mythic ideal of a “hero” to survive in a seemingly bleak and hopeless world. Be it Beowulf or Robin Hood, Blakeney or Batman, every generation is dependent upon its imaginary savior as a means of remaining sane. What, then, classifies these men in tights as heroic? A hero ultimately needs three characteristics. First, a hero must persevere regardless of obstacles; must remain steadfast to the end. Second, a hero must have a pure motive for every deed he or she accomplishes. Finally, a hero must have the ability to fail, as well as to overcome past failures.
Perseverance is the winning attribute or fatal flaw in many ancient literary, as well as historical characters. Antigone continued to bury her brother on threat of execution. Hercules beat out millions of seemingly unconquerable demons. Jesus withstood taunts from the devil in the midst of a fast. A hero must be able to continue on, to keep one’s resolve against all odds. If the hero does not carry on, how can we be expected to? A hero’s perseverance gives those of less heroic proportions the stamina to carry their own burdens.
A hero’s motive must be pure. The term “pure” can be debated infinitely, but in some way the driving force must always go back to a hero’s love of his or her fellow man. This could be literally the love of one other person in the world or of humanity in general. Odysseus did everything within his power to help his people and rid the world of monsters that could hurt his fellow man. Robin Hood fought against the injustice of Prince John’s reign by giving stolen alms to the less fortunate. Even Robespierre’s motive made him heroic, although eventually he was caught in his own mechanism and lost his heroic status. In contrast, Beowulf would not be a hero, as he was overtly concerned with the glory his actions would obtain for him. Likewise, Harry Potter would not be a hero because his continual battle with Voldemort is one of survival and retribution, where the rest of the world takes a backseat to Harry’s personal problems. In this scenario, secondary characters such as Dobby and Ron would be more considerably heroic than the protagonist.
Finally, a hero cannot be perfect. If our heroes lack flaws and fumblings, how can we possibly look up to them? Superman has kryptonite. The Scarlet Pimpernel has the inevitable compulsion to banter with the antagonist to an almost fatal extent. Oscar Romero was eventually gunned down in front of his congregation. If a hero cannot be broken, there is no manner in which the common person can be expected to emulate him or her.
The examples previously provided show heroes that are recognizable to the public eye, those that are exaggerated for entertainment purposes. There are heroes all over the world every day. The single mom trying to get her kids a good education is a hero. The teenager trying to recover from an addiction or eating disorder is a hero. The Peace Corps worker, the MTA police officer, the guy who works at a soup kitchen occasionally are all heroes in their own rite. They all fit the criteria. These people actually go above and beyond; they are the superheroes. They are the ones who perform the duty of a hero every day and leave the perks behind. That is the definition of a true hero.

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