Heroes are not Perfect Essay Example

A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. This is the textbook definition of a hero. Although this definition may seem exactly how it should, I believe that there is leniency to what we describe heroism to be. Not one person is perfect, so heroes shouldn’t be expected to be either, right? Heroes have flaws, just like everyone else and they should be accepted for possessing flaws, as long as no harm is done to others. When heroes have flaws, I believe that it makes them feel more relatable to people today. Heroes’ flaw characteristics may vary from person to person, but arrogance and fear are two commonly used imperfections that heroes often have, including Beowulf, Oskar Schindler, and present-time activist, Greg Mortenson.

Heroes are often portrayed as perfect, but it has been discovered that they can have flaws, and arrogance is one of the most common of them all. While reading Beowulf, I believed that he was the definition of a hero, while realizing he also carried many flaws within the story. The flaw that Beowulf strongly showed throughout the entire reading was his arrogance. He was excessively prideful when he would describe himself as the best there is and that nobody could defeat him. In the Beowulf reading on page 45, line 246, Beowulf says, “They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood.” As Beowulf talks his mouth off about how much he has accomplished, I began to wonder if he was bragging or if he is only extremely proud of what he has accomplished. This is where the controversy begins because I still believe he was a strong and determined hero who had won many battles, but he was excessively proud of himself and was at times narcissistic.  Was he actually arrogant or just proud of his accomplishments? This was a  question that I frequently asked myself to try and understand what Beowulf’s thoughts were throughout the story. A variety of stories lead to understanding similarities and differences between the two, and the story, Schindler’s Legacy shows that fear can come from a situation worth risking, which also relates to the story of Beowulf.

Fear is another common flaw that heroes often experience, whether in real life or in a story. Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist who saved over 1,000 Jew’s lives during the Holocaust. The Jewish citizens were going to be deported to a concentration camp, but before Nazis were able to reach them, Schindler had already employed these people to work for him. At first, he risked his new business with these employees because he was not paying them, but once he realized they were in real danger, he risked himself and his business even though he was scared. His own risks caused fear for him and the employees, although the Jews would be much more worried if Oskar did not take them in. Oskar Schindler would spend nights in the building with the Jews to help protect them. Inside his head, readers of Schindler’s Legacy can gather that he was fearful, wondering if the Nazis would find them and create larger consequences, but he is doing it solely to protect and build a safe environment for the Jewish employees. Oskar Schindler was not the only hero who had faced fear, Beowulf was also fearful during his time as a hero.

Although Beowulf did not approach himself as the fearful or scared type of hero during his battles, everyone has at least one moment where they allow themselves to not put on their bravest acts. Before just about every battle or fight, Beowulf was confident and strong-minded, which I believe helped him win as many battles as he did. This confidence also left me thinking that he was just being vain and self-centered. Until the final reading, in all of Beowulf’s battles, he was confident going up against any monster that he would fight. The last battle that Beowulf participated in, he was fearful and scared since he was becoming older and weaker, while the dragon was strong and powerful. He desired help, so Wiglaf stayed while the other soldiers left his side, since they never had to do anything to help him anyway. 

For heroes to overcome their fears and accept that it is perfectly normal to be scared, in a way it shows that they truly are heroes. After Oskar Schindler opened his business and employed Jews to make money solely for himself and the business, he realized that the Jewish people were scared and in need of his help. Even risking money, for the greater good of morality, he had a change in heart. He was fearful, but he overcame this fear with the thought of helping others reach safety so they did not need to worry about what would happen to them. Beowulf also conquered his fear in a slightly different way, because he accepted help when he was scared of becoming defeated. When he knew his battle was challenging and risky for his own life, Wiglaf stayed to help Beowulf defeat the dragon. The flaws that Oskar Schindler and Beowulf had were also apparent to show that it makes a story and life more relatable and less impossible than if there were no flaws at all.

A hero who has absolutely no flaws can be seen as unrealistic and too predictable. In Beowulf, I believe that Beowulf is a powerful hero and with his flaws of arrogance and fear, his story is not as impractical as it would be if he was “perfect” in every way. After decades of triumph over monsters where he was much stronger than any opponent, Beowulf was killed while also defeating a dragon alongside another soldier. Even though Beowulf was scared during his last battle, it does not make him less of a hero than if he was confident. He still risked his life that he eventually lost in the battle to protect others, rather than only battling for his self-esteem. Without the flaws of arrogance and fear of Beowulf in his story, I believe that it would sound too predictable and not as interesting or I would not have guessed the ending before reading the finale. In the stories that include Beowulf’s battles, I often predicted what would happen next, but in the end, I was surprised at the results which is an exciting twist in a story. 

As I read through stories about legends, fictional characters, and real people from roughly one hundred years ago, I realized that even modern-day heroes have similarities with these characters, especially with their flaws. Greg Mortenson, a 63-year-old American with many occupations including; writer, professional speaker, humanitarian, veteran, and author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books. Along with these successful careers, he is the founder of Pennies for Peace, an educational charity. He also is a co-founder of a non-profit Central Asia Institute. Greg seemed to be a hero because of his activism in helping hundreds of girls in Afghanistan receive an education. He had many schools built for children in Afghanistan and he also had $100,000 donated to his charity from President Obama’s Nobel Prize winnings. When people heard his name, they showed respect for all he had done. For example, Greg was praised by former president Bill Clinton, Mortenson provided advice to four-star U.S. generals about the dynamics of the Afghan tribal. He sounds like the definition of a hero, right? Until we find out the major flaw that could change people’s opinions about him as a person and businessman.

Knowing that nobody is perfect, this story seemed too good to be true until the truth came out that Greg had a flaw similar to Oskar Schindler’s. Greg Mortenson began helping children in Afghanistan by building schools, but in 2012 investigators found out that he had not been truthful. Greg was keeping donation money that was supposed to be going towards his charity. According to the Washington Post, he spent the money on items such as clothing and travel, when it could have been spent on school supplies for children, the building itself, or possibly even food. This is a similar situation that Oskar Schindler was involved in, except backward in Schindler’s Legacy. Oskar began his business to keep the money for himself, but then he changed for the better and decided to protect the Jews, while Mortenson had planned that he would help the Afghanistan children, but then took money for himself. Both of the men were being arrogant and selfish, even though they made such a large impact on the world around them.

In conclusion, heroes have flaws, just like everyone else. The fact that heroes are not perfect also makes stories about fictional characters or even real people more relatable to the average person. The flaw of arrogance seems to be the most common hero imperfection because they want to be known as the best there is, and they believe that nothing is better than what they do. The other flaw that I noticed was quite common was fear, which I previously thought that all heroes were brave 100% of the time, but no, it is perfectly normal for them to be scared in situations. When a hero has at least one flaw, it makes the story or situation less impractical or impossible to readers or listeners. All heroes who have flaws, whether selfishness or fear, show how they can be mature and realistic to others. A hero is not only defined in a dictionary, but also by personal opinions and the realization that nobody is perfect, not even heroes.