Truth Beneath a Hero

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Truth beneath a Hero

Aladdin, Hercules, Mr. Incredible and Tarzan are all famous Disney heroes who children adore. They share many common traits, like strength, and all embark on magnificent adventures. However, heroes emerge in a wide variety of stories, from modern Disney movies to classic literature. Ingmar Bergman’s character Antonius Block, from The Seventh Seal, and Ernest Hemingway’s Santiago, from The Old Man and the Sea, are typical romance heroes who have both similarities and differences, revealed through their goals, superiority, and assistance in their journeys. Antonius is a knight, recently returning home from the traumatizing crusades. Santiago is an old fisherman, who has been unlucky in his work. These men both experience life changing events and are certainly deemed heroes in many ways by the end of their quests.

These two heroes are similar because they each learn something significant, despite being unable to achieve their original goals. In The Seventh Seal, Antonius returns from the crusades and plays chess with the character, Death. His superficial goal throughout the film is simply to win the chess match, thus avoiding his own physical death by his opponent. Unfortunately, Antonius loses and Death does kill him, as well as his friends. Yet by the time this occurs, Antonius is able to discover many things about himself and life in general. For example, while sitting with the joyous, peaceful family of Jof, Mia and son Mikael, he decides, “Everything I’ve said seems meaningless and unreal […]. How unimportant it all becomes suddenly” (91). Antonius realizes that life is full of much more than just death and terror as he has seen in the crusades. He discovers that he can truly live his life simply and ca...

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...nd. The sun acts as a healer to Santiago both physically and mentally. By healing his hand, the sun also calms Santiago’s mind because he can now focus on the tasks ahead of him. Both Antonius and Santiago show that whether it is a divine power, nature, or even a sidekick, many heroes require some kind of assistance.

Heroes are characterized by their personality, choices and goals. The most adored fictional heroes often have some super power that is completely unrealistic in the real world. Mr. Incredible and Hercules are not great representations of the kind of people one hears about in the news. It is heroes like Santiago and even Antonius that people today can more easily relate to. Every person has his or her own hero who is an inspiration. From famous actors or singers to close family members, the truth beneath all heroes is simply their goodness at heart.

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