Comparing The Hero In Beowulf And The Kite Runner

Baltasar Gracian advised us all “Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one.” Being a hero is not defined by the number of people saved or by how extravagantly it is done, but rather by the nature of one’s heart. One character could save an entire town from a horrendous monster and another could simply save a friend from being shamed by his family, but both of these people would fall under the same category: a hero. Both Beowulf from Beowulf and Hassan from “The Kite Runner” exemplify what a hero truly is through their acts of courage, loyalty and selflessness.

One of the most thought-of characteristics when people hear the word “hero” is courage. Being courageous means having strength when in the presence of pain or fear. Hassan and Beowulf are alike in the sense that they were both courageous people but

Hassan’s selflessness stretches from the very beginning to the very end of the novel, and is shown in the most ultimate way when Hassan wont give up the kite he ran for Amir to Assef. "Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite.” In the end, Assef raped Hassan, and Hassan lost all of his dignity in that selfless act of not giving up the kite. Beowulf’s selflessness is shown when he arrives to the Mead Hall and is preparing to battle Grendel. He tells Hrothgar and his men that “...the monster’s scorn of men /Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none /Nor will I. My lord Higlac /Might think less of me if I let my sword /Go where my feet were afraid to,” (Beowulf 262-266). He was not thinking of himself and how he could beat Grendel easier, but he was thinking of Grendel, and how it would not be fair for him to have no armor while he, Beowulf, had shields and swords. So he sacrificed his armor in a selfless act, and fought Grendel bare handed in order to make a fair