Illuminating the Word Through Fiction

R. J.’s turn.

What? How could Kacy blog about villains—my villains included—without mentioning, “That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain”???  Hamlet Act 1, scene 5, 105-109

All right. Fine. Because Kacy has dealt with the villains in the previous post—which is contrary to her retiring nature, but appreciated due to my lack of time in October and since then—I will consider heroes. All heroes, excluding antiheroes, who deserve their own blog, and hero sandwiches. (Though sandwiches are always welcomed during writing deadlines!)

What are we looking for when we study our heroes? Courage, of course. And, if they’re not necessarily handsome, they must at least be charming. Or possess some beguiling aspect that entices us as readers/movie-goers/hero-followers-in-general, to become fans of this hero.

Honor. Resourcefulness. Humor. Strength. A willingness to defend others who are vulnerable. The desire to defend certain ideals. A sacrifice of self. A champion!

Heroes, whether male or female, model characteristics that the rest of us ought to imitate or admire. Furthermore, every hero must reveal a few weaknesses, evoking our empathy, love, compassion and devotion! Our heroes make us long to follow them.

After spending almost two years with one of my current fiction heroes, I’ve concluded that Kien Lantec’s greatest mortal weakness—apart from his overwhelming love for Ela—is his tendency to rush to judgment. Not always, but just enough to land Kien in a sea of trouble.

Fortunately, Kien manages to greet trouble with humor and resilience. And an epic Azurnite sword.

Now that I've inflicted my idea of a hero on you, tell me...what qualities do you expect in your heroes?