Heroism is a concept repeatedly seen throughout the history of literature. The term “hero” actually comes from the ancient Greeks. Their idea of a hero slightly differs from that of today, but the concept of possibility is the same. Heroes are necessary because they not only give people hope and inspiration during tough times, but they also define the limits of our aspirations. They are often used as symbols for us of all the qualities we would like to have or look up to. With Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood we can see a number of these qualities within Robin Hood and his merry men, as well as a few other important characters throughout the book. Some of these characteristics would include the use of his moral code, his combat …show more content…
The reason this could be is because during the time of Robin Hood, the feudal system was very corrupt, and caused the rich to get richer by taking from the poor. Due to this, Robin took it upon himself to steal that money from the rich and give it back to the less fortunate. Pyle even states towards the beginning of the book, “Many a poor family came to Sherwood in need and found kindness and help. Soon the common people felt that Robin was one of their own, and they praised and admired him” (Pyle 7). It is largely because of this support that Robin is constantly able to elude the authorities and continue on his adventures. Even though many authoritative figures did not like Robin for his actions, this is not the case for all of them. A perfect example of this is when he meets Sir Knight Richard. Sir Richard claims that he has heard good word of Robin, which shows that he is kindly spoken of amongst both the common people and those in higher positions. This could mean that perhaps it is not the entire system that is corrupt, but only certain individuals within it. This could be a reason why Robin is able to keep the community support; because not every person in a high position is oppose to his actions and what he stands