There are many different traits and definitions that are used as a guideline when determining if someone is a hero or not. Everyone has different opinions and views so it is difficult to officially claim someone a hero. A hero is someone who is compassionate and thinks about others problems before their own. They are usually not the most well known person and can be seen as shy but in the end surprise everyone. A hero should have a humble motive for any action. In the story, A Mystery of Heroism by Stephen Crane, Fred Collins is an arrogant, and prideful person who becomes thirsty and runs across a battlefield to end his thirst. He shows his arrogance through getting the water for himself, and turning down the soldier at first. He decided …show more content…
In A Mystery of Heroism, Fred Collins is not defined as an American hero because of his arrogant nature, his pridefulness, and his inability to help a dying soldier on impulse.
When Collins realized he was thirsty, a few of his comrades “dared” him to go get a drink and because of his arrogance, he obliged. Due to Collins being so young, he did not think about the consequence or about anyone else. He wanted a drink and that was what he was going to get. A true hero in this situation would think about others and inquire if they were thirsty as well. Instead, Collins feels that he needs to prove something to his fellow soldiers. Since the soldiers do not stop teasing him, he then proceeds to ask his general if he may go. The colonel replies by saying “look here, my
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He notices that he is not very afraid while he is walking through the field and comes to the conclusion that he must be a hero. But for someone to be an American hero they would need to not be so self-occupied that they wonder if they are a hero. They would not think that they are someone who is great and noble, they would be humble and modest. Instead, the idea of him being a hero brought Collins joy and He truly believed that he was a great and noble soldier going to fetch water across a battlefield. As said before, Collins realized that he was not afraid and started thinking about how most people would have been afraid in his situation and “that all men who did not feel this fear were phenomena—heroes” (Crane 5). THIS SHOWS that he was feeling very proud of himself and was hoping to have recognition for his brave demeanor. However, he then decided that he should not be a hero because he had done many wrong things in his life. Some may argue that this shows him humbling himself and proves he is a hero, but he is merely _____. ________, while he was filling up the canteens he began to get scared and worried about how slow they were filling up. He saw an old well bucket nearby and exchanged the canteen for the bucket. Although the water filled up faster, it was not a good choice. As Collins headed back to