Heroes and Heroism

“There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with,” Admiral William Halsey quoted at Brainy Quote.  Because I’m an author, I want this blog to be relevant to storytelling, because I’m a reader, I want this blog to be important to readers, because I’m a veteran, I want this blog to honor those we remember this Memorial Day weekend.  Heroes and Heroism are the perfect topic, and Admiral Halsey’s quote could not be more apropos.  So aside from being ‘ordinary’ what makes a person a hero or an act heroic?  Encarta gives the following definitions. 

he·ro (plural he·roes) noun

1. remarkably brave person: somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character a war hero

2. somebody admired: somebody who is admired for outstanding qualities or achievements heroes of the war against poverty

3. main character in fictional plot: the principal male character in a movie, novel, or play, especially one who plays a vital role in plot development or around whom the plot is structured
See also antihero

4. man with superhuman powers: in classical mythology, a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift such as superhuman strength the Greek heroes

5. long sandwich: a sandwich made from a long roll or loaf of bread with a filling of meat and cheese with lettuce and tomato

In the latter case, perhaps the real hero is the person who eats the enormous sandwich.  None of the commonly accepted definitions of hero include anything about Halsey’s ordinary men dealing with extraordinary circumstances.  In my June release, The Widow’sRevenge, the hero, Alec Carter, a fairly ordinary guy in terms of character, is lured into spending an extraordinary week with a woman bent on revenge.  Alec performs some fairly spectacular acts as a result of the extraordinary circumstances he finds himself in.  It doesn’t take much thought to know (say 9/11 to any American and he or she knows, say Tsunami to the Japanese and they know) exactly what Halsey means.  In every nation, every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, firefighter, public safety officer, teacher, preacher, cancer survivor—the list is close to endless—is an ordinary man or woman and they each encounter extraordinary circumstances, sometimes on a daily basis.  On Memorial Day in the US we pause to remember and give thanks for the heroes who have fallen.  As authors, we labor mightily to put the sense of heroism into words.  We draw word pictures for our readers of characters who overcome conflicts big and small but always in the context of the story extraordinary.  As readers we search for the common, everyday ordinariness of those characters in extraordinary circumstances, giving ourselves hope that in our own lives, we too carry the seeds of heroism.  Readers recognize what author Jean Houston puts into words that “we all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.”  Leave a comment telling me about your favorite hero (real or fictional).  Everyone who comments will be added to my mailing list and entered in a drawing for swag.  Notice will be sent to the recipient on or before June 15, 2011.