Essay Sample on Hero: A Symbol of Courage, Nobility, and Achievement

Introduction

A hero in a movie, play, or a book is a person who emerges as having courage, noble qualities, or outstanding achievements endearing him to his admirers. In a book, film, or any other literal work, they are fictional characters who admired for their good with good characteristics and with whom the audience is expected to take side with or support. In contrast, an anti-hero is the main character in any literal work, such as a movie or book which fails to demonstrate likable qualities such as courage, morality, idealism, empathy, among others. The audience is expected to be apprehensive of his behavior and develop a cold heart for his personality or character. He is simply the character we all want to be punished for their mistakes.

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Synopsis

The Great Gatsby, features a young man, Gatsby, from rural North Dakota who rose from rags to riches motivated by Daisy, a woman he loved. Working for a wealthy man during his youth, he is drawn into the world of dirty dealings by participating in organized crime such as drug trafficking and manipulation of securities to maintain his lavish lifestyle and public appeal all in the name of love. He is too tied to winning her that he is left exposed to his past coming after him. Although he is pictured as a loyal and good-hearted man, his image is tainted by his wrongdoings. (Edwards)

In fences, the protagonist, Troy Maxson, a garbage collector, is a family man who takes pride in being able to provide for his family and sustain it together. Disturbed by early age events that broke his prospects and dreams, he finds himself continually putting up fences between himself and his loved ones. He finds society unfair and constantly rebels out of frustration, finding himself clashing with his family, especially his son, over a black's man identity in contemporary mid-century America. (Wilson)

Troy's Character in Fences

Fences bring out an anti-hero character in Troy. Despite being responsible, he is much disturbed by his past, which makes him prone to believing in unrealistic illusions. He had a tough livelihood being discriminated against and prevented from achieving his full potential in baseball. All characters have a strained relationship with troy, although they love him.

He conflicts with and finds himself not accepting other peoples' choices unless they were his preferences. He fails to see how Cory would have better chances of succeeding in football as there were during his time and discourages him from taking up the call. He also disagrees with Lyon's decision to become a musician, rose habits of playing the numbers. (Menson 17)

Troy also displays hypocrisy by demanding that his family should live practical and responsible lives while he is at the freedom to rebel against racists and engage in extramarital affairs. He continually refuses to see life as it should be instead forging a grotesque image of how it should be in his head and following it blindly. He spends most of his time in his backyard, building a fence around his home. He is overly obsessed with his property, perhaps as a way of keeping his demons contained. He continually gives fanciful tales about his abusive father, a time when he was in prison as well as his heroic athletic achievements only to show that his only goal in this life was to finish putting up the fence he fondly worked on. (Macdonough 148)

Despite the beginning of the book where Troy plays loved, admired, and getting away with his secret affair, his eventual death leaves many negative attributes as an inheritance to his family to live with. Despite providing for it, he had failed to believe in his family, encourage or motivate it during its most promising moments. He goes down as an anti-hero.

Gatsby's Character in The Great Gatsby

The protagonist, Gatsby, was born in North Dakota and is a highly motivated and determined individual. He paints a clear picture of the American dream from his example of moving from rags to riches. He lives a lavish lifestyle, throwing high-end weekly parties as well as spoiling his love Daisy thanks to his ill-gotten surmountable wealth. For example, he manages to convince the love of his heart through emotional as well as physical expressions. He insists that he can recreate the past just like it was in Louisville, in trying to convince Daisy back to himself at any cost.

He even refuses to believe that Daisy could have loved anybody else since they had been together in Louisville. He states, 'your wife doesn't love you ...she never loved you...she loves me' His continued insistence that he can repeat the past paints him as being overly optimistic, naive, desperate as well as delusional even when Daisy fails to support his statement stating that she loved both Tom and Gatsby.

Towards the end of the book, his optimism is painted in his words in hoping for a better future despite his problems. He believed in the coming of better prosperous days, saying that he would run faster, stretch out his arms further, and always wake up to a beautiful morning. In general, despite Gatsby's greatness is mainly seen in his outlook and hope as opposed to his wealth and extravagance, which presents him as a heroic character for his unwavering great personality.

Works Cited

August Wilson, Troy Maxon Maxson Character Analysis,1986, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/fences/characters/b025e174-e747-48ee-9cd5-9a5d3a0d1ef7 Accessed 11 Dec.2019

Carla J. Macdonough, Staging Masculinity: Male Identity in Contemporary American Drama Mc Farland & Company Publishers (2006): 148

Halle Edwards Best Character Analysis: Jay Gatsby-The Great Gatsby,2016, Retrieved from https://blog.prepscholar.com/jay-gatsby-great-gatsby-character-analysis-quotes Accessed 11 Dec.2019

Ladrica Menson, August Wilson's Fences, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (2013): 17