No Heros in The Red Badge of Courage and A Farewell to...

No Heros in The Red Badge of Courage and A Farewell to Arms Many great literary novels have the protagonist, the main character of the novel, being portrayed as the hero. There are many different deeds and actions that can characterize a person as a hero such as saving someone from a burning house at the risk of ones own life. The main distinguishing characteristic of a true hero is self-sacrifice, whether it be scarifice of your own personal desires or ideals or sacrifice of physical well being to help others. There are a few novels in which the main character of the work does not exemplify the deeds and thought of a true hero. Two such works include Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of†¦show more content†¦After the second skirmish, the readers find out that he does indeed run from battle but thats not what makes him a non-hero. Its the fact that he tries to rationalize and justify his running. He says that his running is ... not a fault, a shameful thing; it was an act obedient to a law. He also uses nature to justify his running such as when he throws something at a squirrel and it runs away. Hes also egotistical when he says that his running away was done with dignity as compared to the others who ran like cowards. To make matters worse, after Henry is rejoined with his regiment, he lies about getting separated from the regiment and with the aid of a fradulent head wound, his story is not questioned by others. But Henrys mind is always full of thoughts of how to save himself embarrassment that he even stoops to thinking about blackmailing his friend Wilson with the packet of letters that were given to him. He now rejoiced in the possession of a small weapon with which he could prostrate his comrade at the first signs of a cross-examination. Another instance in which Henry acts unheroically is in the desertion of the tattered soldier. Henry could be juxtaposed to the tattered soldier to show how a hero should act. Unlike Henry who is always thinking about his self image, the tattered soldier, although he is shot and hurt himself, asks aboutShow MoreRelatedNazi Germany And The Nazi War11227 Words   |  45 Pages As with American boys, a German boy during the 1930’s, also had hopes and dreams of an optimistic future. It were these dreams which provided them courage and loyalty too. However, their optimism did not come from within their own imaginations. The Nazi government provided those hopes and dreams through forced indoctrination. In the 1930’s, membership of teenage boys in the Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend or HJ) was highly encouraged. The German government promised parents that after graduationRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesdevelopments of Rastafarianism. For instance, very few modern religions have assumed such a signiï ¬ cant place in the mainstream of popular culture through the use of music. Marley is not seen as a religious ï ¬ gure; rather he is seen as a rock star, a pop hero, an icon. And yet his faith is at the core of his music. Rastafarians have dubbed Marley the psalmist and prophet of the movement. This is a crucial part of the wonderful complexity of the Rastafarian movement. Jamaica owes a great debt to the men