If someone were to tell you that you are going to be a hero one day, that you alone must save the world, what would you do? Would you run in the other direction and scream at the top of your lungs that you don’t care, and that the world can suffer because you have your own shit to deal with? Or, would you be a martyr and accept the fate that destiny has so kindly written for you? It is a difficult question and one that you will probably/hopefully never have to answer. In the fantasy world though, it’s one that is answered every single day.
The hero within fantasy is becoming harder and harder to define. The lines between black and white are blurring. Today, we cheer for assassins and boo those, that millennia ago would have been deemed worthy of our cheers and attention. For example, both Achilles and Beowulf, whose battle prowess’s were renowned across the known world, sought only fame. The stories of their “heroic” deeds are told even today, but in reality when we really look at them we see two men whose quest for fame was more important to them than saving the lives of others. Is this a true hero? Is a hero marked only by his ability to fight regardless of his morals and personal quest? Or is a hero something a little more?
In older Fantasy novels, we tend to have heroes who are little short of perfect. They have a balanced set of morals, they learn quickly, their own flaws are virtually non-existent, and when they do have flaws, they are dealt with swiftly. These heroes are the true definition of the word. Hero is defined as, “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.”* In other words, annoying. A perfect example of this would be Eragon from Christopher Poalini’s Inheritance Cycle. He is too perfect, a quick learner, who circumstance would have it, is in the right place at the right time. This is flawed in itself but, suddenly out of nowhere he has been gifted with magic, a dragon, oh and guess what? He has an evil half brother.
Today we are moving away from this definition. As readers, (as the new trends in fantasy fiction dictate) we prefer to have our heroes torn apart at the seams with their inner turmoil and grief from a back-story that will be revealed slowly throughout the tale. Have them make mistakes so that we can shout at them, “No, no, no, no, no!” Have them question their own motives and find something within themselves that makes them want to fight in the end, even if it’s not saving the world, but rather themselves, or to claim redemption. “True” heroes have nothing to fight for, other than the idea of being a hero and wanting fame.
The redemption tale is one that all fantasy fans are familiar with. From Aragornto High Lord Akkarin to Ry Sabir and back to even Edmund Pevensie, it’s always been there. These are the characters we are subconsciously rooting for. We want them to succeed. We have seen them at their darkest hour, and can relate to our own personal tales of deliverance. But redemption tales, in fantasy, at times supersede something much darker. This is where the Anti-Hero comes out to play.
An Anti-Hero is a character that uses questionable means to gain the same results that a hero would. Anti-Heroes, like R. A. Salvatore’s Jarlaxle, make us question the role of a hero possibly more than any other kind of protagonist. For example, if Jarlaxle’s counterpart, Drizzt Do’Urden used the same manipulative techniques that Jarlaxle did and caused the same level of chaos we would question his heroism. Likewise if Jarlaxle killed someone in the same way that Drizzt kills his enemies. Jarlaxle would be classed as undeniably evil.
The reason that heroes have become more flawed is to make them more human, more relatable. We don’t want heroes that we can’t see ourselves being one day. The quest of humanity has always been to better ourselves, and in fiction, fantasy or not, this is the same. We’re flawed creatures, lazy, obnoxious, arrogant and if put in the role of a hero we will always rely on the “flight or fight” instinct. Modern fantasy authors have picked up on this, and perhaps drawing from their own experiences they realise that the modern hero, has to reflect the modern man.
*Quotation is directly from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero on 10.2.11 @ 14.15 pm
