Heroism Blog 2

In the contemporary society, the definition of a hero has been inscribed to be a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. A modern hero is perceived to be strong, courageous, and noble in personality.  Author Ernest Hemingway defined a code of ethics for these acts of heroism, the most important tenet being that a brave hero exhibits "grace under pressure." This means that in difficult situations, especially mortal ones, the hero handles himself assuredly and confronts danger head on. In the novel The Sun Also Rises, the author portrays a hero according to Hemmingway’s definition. The protagonist, Romero, through courageous and moral ethics, creates this persona of a “moral” hero. In the Sun Also Rises, Hemingway’s emphasis on the moral and social conflicts of Ramero reflects that of a modern hero.

In The Sun Also Rises, Romero develops as a protagonist through his characteristics and qualities which Hemingway spotlights as “moral” heroism. Jake, the main character, is the opposite of Romero. He was in the war and part of the “Lost Generation” the group of people affected morally and socially by World War I. Jake consumes alcohol on a daily basis, parties all the time, and is entangled with love affairs thus proving he is morally corrupt. During the introduction of Romero, Jake, the main character, praises him, “This was a real one. There had not been a real one for a long time. Of the other matadors, one was very fair and the other was passable.”  Romero was a traditional bull fighter thus he believed in the traditional morals and ethics of the past era, not tampered by the war. His character is described to be pure, strong willed, and also he takes utmost passion in his work, bullfighting. Thus the author Ernest Hemingway utilizes the comparison of Jake’s corrupt morals to that of Romero’s pure spirit to portray a message of heroism to the readers through their interactions. Most importantly, Jake develops a sense of idealism towards Romero because of the qualities he displays during bullfighting and interaction with the so called tampered society without becoming corrupt. As a main character, Jake transforms near the end of the novel especially his moral ethics in result of Romero being represented as an ideal figure. Thus Romero would be considered Hemingway’s display of heroism in the novel The Sun Also Rises. Romero’s stand as a hero would be his opposition to the developing moral standards of the Lost Generation and the factor of being a role model to the main character Jake.

In Comparison to the heroism portrayed by Hemingway of Romero, the modern society of today standardizes heroism as a big feat or accomplishment that generally requires a group of witnesses and the intention of saving the day to be considered an act of heroism. The news is a main source of recognition to a hero. Hundreds of big stories are regulated across the world, saving a house, saving a cat, even saving a person, are the only news to make it to the top headlines. These courageous and noble acts need to have spectators to be recognized as heroism. Especially police forces, fire departments, and hospitals, are all considered fields that breed heroes into the world. Superman is a prime example of a hero right? He is extremely strong, fast, and for the women handsome. He also saves all the citizens of metropolis. Comic books, television shows, all portray heroes to be of cunning features and noble personality. However, in my opinion this statement is true, but also has its faults. In my opinion the best heroes who contribute more to society than those expecting glory, are people who do noble deeds without thought or when they do not expect it. This can apply to anyone, helping an old lady across the street, or even letting a car pass you without conflict, these are the deeds that require recognition. Because if more people start to do heroic deeds without the intention or thought; the world will be bursting full of heroes to make the world a better place.