The Barber Hero Essay

The definition of a hero can be incredibly hard to explain or can be entirely summed up in a few words. Heroes are usually ideal or admired people, yet, a hero can be somebody you don’t expect, someone unpredictable. The barber in this story is a hero, he’s a hero to his people and a hero for himself. He’s not a coward, although, if he went through with slitting Torres’ throat, he’d be plagued with the horror of being a murderer.

Pre-eminently, the barber is a definite hero to his people. The barber would’ve been a hero to his people because in the story the barber claims this:

And then on the other side. "The avenger of us all. A name to remember. (And here they would mention my name.) He was the town barber. No one knew he was defending our cause." (Téllez )

They would’ve appreciated his efforts and felt grateful for the opportunity he would’ve provided them with.

Next, the barber is a hero not only for his people but also for himself. The barber is a hero for himself because he makes it clear how he feels about Torres at first:

And how easy it would be to kill him. And he deserves it. (Téllez )

What the barber says is correct, Captain Torres did somewhat deserve the swift cut of the blade due to his brutal actions. If he had done so, the barber would’ve saved himself from hiding in the dark any longer. Doing this would’ve not only saved his revolution but allow his true reputation as a rebel to shine through the cracks of his reputation as the towns barber. This would allow his rebels to own more hope in this revolution.

Lastly, the barber wouldn’t have been a coward, but would’ve absolutely been a murderer. The barber himself proclaims:

What the devil! No one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer. What do you gain by it? Nothing. (Téllez