Holding Out for a Hero

[sakuratsukikage]

Another post in the "things I really like" series.  (For the record, when I say hero in these posts, I mean it as a term inclusive of both male and female characters--same with "good guys" and "bad guys.")

So, sometime in the 1980s, I think, though I'm not really sure, considering I was born then, it struck people that really, really flawed

Comments

[rentetsu]

It's a joy hearing you on this topic, you. I never get bored of it. I have to say, my appreciation for Luke grew after meeting you. I think in elementary school I was mainly absorbed in, "That car has no wheels!" "Man, I wish I had a wookie copilot." "Leia's strapped to a giant slug while she's only in her underwear! Gross." And around middle school I totally fell in love with Wedge and Janson and was therefore sad that they're barely in the original trilogy. But I adore Luke for caring so much--that's who he is. It really resonates with me too.

I agree whole-heartedly with what the above commenter says on Silk from The Belgariad and about Harry Potter. Garion, the main character, is really honest, deep-down good and Silk appreciates Garion's goodness and always looks out for him. Likewise, Harry is whiny and not always nice, but he's fundamentally a good person, magic is still magical to him, and even though the baddies get progressively scarier because they grow up with him, Harry won't quit. He's special, not because everyone thinks of him as Chosen, but because he chooses to live up to his role.

I'm glad someone is addressing why good characters are likable, why we admire them and are drawn to them, why they are NOT boring for not having a bad streak or not showing reluctance to save the world. I'd like to think most people would choose to save the world and the problem is only a matter of how.

[sakuratsukikage]

Aww, thank you, seriously. I'm glad you don't get bored, because I do tend to go on and on, I think. And this actually makes me really happy. XD I'd love to increase Luke appreciation in everyone I know. (And Wedge and Janson are awesome, but I'm almost glad they're not in it more so that they could be spun off into what they are in the Expanded Universe. Which is awesome.) But yes. Luke's caring about things so much is what really endears him to me, and makes me wonder how people could ever think that he's boring.

Garion, the main character, is really honest, deep-down good and Silk appreciates Garion's goodness and always looks out for him. See, I think that's the sort of thing that I think you can get, that kind of character interaction, when you embrace that a certain character is a good person, because it's natural for people to admire that. And that kind of back and forth between characters can be so interesting. And I think your point that Harry chooses to live up to his role is a really good one, too, because something that so many people seem to miss is that being a good person, being a hero, is a choice, and it's a choice that's really interesting to see a person make.

I'd like to think most people would choose to save the world and the problem is only a matter of how.

And I agree with this, so much. So it's the how and why that's interesting--to be honest, a person who would be reluctant to save the world doesn't get nearly as much of my sympathy. And thank you! I love thinking about this kind of thing, anyway. XD