Delineation Of Heroes

The Delineation of Heroes in Literature Prevalent in this culture, much of humankind has indisputably become increasingly favorable to one another whether it is of concern within a smaller collection of individuals or in a bigger societal sense, with this deriving from not only a moral obligation but also the evident presence of physiological empathy, ultimately emphasizing the rise of heroism. For the purposes of elucidation, one must first explore the concept of a hero. There are three levels of heroic motivation in which the deed becomes more genuine as the level increases . The first level, known as “reward and punishment,” is when one simply does the deed in order to receive direct benefits or to avoid direct harm. The second level …show more content…
. . We get jumped by the Socs. . . . it’s the abbreviation for the Socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids. It’s like the term ‘greaser,’ which is used to class all us boys on the East Side. We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class” (Hinton 2-3). As part of the greaser community, a group of poor minorities whose lives are difficult, Johnny and his gang are frequently discriminated against and harassed. This concern is the basis for all other conflicts throughout the book. That being said, Johnny Cade demonstrates the qualities of a hero. To provide context, Johnny had been severely “jumped” by a group of Socs, and therefore developed a fear of them. Besides facing the inescapable issues as a greaser, Johnny also lives in a hostile family with parents who do not care about him, “ ‘I think I like it better when the old man’s hittin’ me.’ Johnny sighed. ‘At least then I know he knows who I am. I walk in that house, and nobody says anything. I walk out, and nobody says anything. I stay away all night, and nobody notices’ ” (Hinton 51). It is because of these ignorant and abusive parents that bring the gang closer to him, making the group his “family.” Even after unintentionally killing a person in self-defense during a fight, he shows off his heroism, “He looked over his shoulder and saw that the door was blocked by …show more content…
Sodapop acts as the “middle man” in most situations. He is an expert in understanding others particularly his younger brother, Ponyboy, by constantly supporting and defending him, such as after he gets “jumped” by the Socs and gets lectured by Darry, the eldest brother, “Soda was glaring at him. ‘Leave my kid brother alone, you hear? It ain’t his fault he likes to go to the movies, and it ain’t his fault the Socs like to jump us’ ” (Hinton 13). Sodapop could be described as the voice of reason in this situation; he mitigates the harshness of Darry’s remarks. The prominence of this quality is significant because he binds the family of three boys together even after they lose their parents to a car accident. Ponyboy’s character is heavily influenced by Sodapop’s consistent and comforting encouragement, deeming him a hero in accordance to the definition provided previously. It can be burdensome for Sodapop to take sides, though, “Golly, you two, it’s bad enough having to listen to it, but when you start trying to get me to take sides . . . We’re all we’ve got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything. If we don’t have each other, we don’t have anything . . . Please . . . don’t fight anymore” (Hinton 176). This quotation highlights why Sodapop wants his two brothers to stop arguing as he feels that both of them are right and cannot side with one or the other, and if that quarreling