A Hero's Journey

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." -- Christopher Reeve

Throughout a life time, people hear many different definitions of heroism and examples of heroes. In childhood, heroes are either fictional men with supernatural abilities and talents or protectors of reality, such as firefighters and policemen; in adolescence, heroes can be actors, athletes, artists, and teachers; in adulthood, heroes may be activists or reporters, politicians or businessmen. Bonnie Tyler, a popular singer, describes her ideal hero saying “he’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight” (“Holding Out for a Hero” 1984). If the definition

Marji, as a child growing up, naturally passes through certain rights of passage as she gains knowledge and experience in her lifetime. However, the situation in her country makes creates an extremely difficult environment for her to mature in. She is growing up during the fall of the Shah, the Islamic revolution, and the Iran-Iraq war, which complicates the manner in which she is raised. She lives in a war zone where she survives multiple bombings and acts of violence. She says the imprisonment and death of her Uncle Anoosh makes her feel “…lost, without any bearings…what could be worse than that?” (71). However, she is able to “undergo the most difficult rites of passage” as a young girl. Odysseus, who is passed the time Marji is in her life, does not have to face the challenges of growing up but endures the “mysterious and frightening unknown” while on his journey. Lost on his voyage home, Odysseus travels from island to island, each containing a creature or foe he has never experienced before. Odysseus describes it as a “voyage fraught with hardship” (Book IX: 43), one in which he meets ferocious beasts and is able to conquer them. Marji and Odysseus both

Odysseus openly uses the skills he has mastered during the Trojan War throughout his journey and utilizes them to his advantage. The craftiness which he exhibits in the making of the Trojan Horse is shown multiple times on his quest, particularly when he is fooling the Cyclops. When the Cyclops asks for his name in the cave, Odysseus replies “Nobody—that’s my name” (Book IX: 410) and is able to escape safely with his men without facing the attack of other Cyclopes. Odysseus also harnesses his prowess at a fighter during the war. “Odysseus fought the grimmest fight / he had ever braved but won through the last” (Book VIII: 582-583). His competence as a soldier is seen again in Ithaca where he, with the help of Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Athena, fights off many suitors. Although he is out-numbered, by the end of the battle the suitors are “one and all in blood and dust” (Book XXII: 408). Odysseus takes the skills he gains throughout his journey and uses them in order to achieve his personal victory. Then what can be said about Marji? At the end of her story, she achieves no victory and gains little skill. Her goal of saving her country is never attained and she is forced to flee in order to survive. But Norman expands on her definition of a hero by claiming: “Even though the heroic quest is never