What do Harry Potter, Spartacus and Indiana Jones have in common? How would you define your own hero? Is it an intrepid person who is ready to overcome all of the problems and challenges that he is going to face? Is it a smart person who can solve every puzzle in the world? Is it a person with euphonious voice and sexually attractive appearance? Is it a person who evokes sympathy in us?
In fact, protagonists in literature tend to possess a set of unique qualities that make them true heroes. Firstly, a classic hero is a brave person, yet not audacious, who does not fear anything or anyone. He does not fear death and he is ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. Secondly, he is always smart, well-skilled and judicious. Thirdly, he has strong determination and clear focus on his goals as well as sense of responsibility for his actions.
…show more content…
Contrary to the classic heroic protagonist, what if he is neither brave nor handsome? What if he is not confident? What if he is not strong and clumsy? What if he pursues goals for his own satisfaction? What if the protagonist resolves the conflict through the qualities that are usually not found in classical hero? This literary device, known as the ‘anti-hero’, is employed by writers to describe protagonists who are not standard pure and true literary heroes. At the same time, the protagonist may possess some traits of characters that are usually visible in villains. The writers often deliberately create anti-heroes and emphasize their flaws to add some dramatic unexpected