Antihero
AntiheroSomebody Different or Special?
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and
leave a trail” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Many times Anti-heroes are the outcasts or quite
people in society. The do not care what other people think. But for the most part they do
these things just for the thrill or just to be different. The Classical American Hero on the
other hand looks for ways to do something spectacular. The anti-hero doesn’t like to
follow orders they would rather make their own rules up. These beliefs and ways that
anti-heroes go by can often bring out many flaws in the American Ideal that the classical
American Hero stands for and represents. This is because the anti-hero sees the frontier
different than other hard working Americans. They don’t see the wide open areas of
opportunity but rather look at the boundaries that are holding them back from reaching the
opportunities, and look for ways to overcome the boundaries. The anti-hero will always
be there in the American society to rise up and bring out the flaws in the American culture
as well as the Ideal, the only thing preventing corruption is the place in which the Hero
rises up and takes charge.
Back in the 1800’s when Mark Twain wrote one of the most famous anti-hero
novel ever, named The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn this was during a time when
anti-heroes were just now coming into glimpse with societies rising imperfections. The
novel was liked by so many due to the plot of a young boy going against the norm in
society. The novel also portrayed many other rising imperfections in society such as
slavery. Huck’s Companion is a black runaway slave joining Huck in his own search on
the frontier for their own American Ideals. Twain uses the word nigger many times in the
book, now some think Twain was racist and others just think that he was trying to show
how racism was back then. For every critic who thinks down on the book their is another
who thinks “the books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its
own shame,”(Oscar Wilde). As manly people think the book is full of negatives Huck
shows through many different events that even an outcast anti-hero has a conscious. As
when he and Jim ran into the two frauds and are forced into helping them out. When they
are about to steal all the money from Mary Jane and here sisters (who Huck as grown to
like), Huck makes a shocking decision that does not go along with what anyone thought
Huck would do and that is turn in the two thieves and causes Huck and Jim not to get any
of the much needed money. In this case it shows Huck has the side to be a Hero and
prevents someone from loosing something that is important to them.
As times change the role of the anti-hero changes...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.