Le Hero Oblivion

Times have changed, values have shifted, and the hero has undergone a transformation. In the days of old a hero was known by his valor, his virtue, and his good deeds. He took the form of a White Knight clad in full platemail or he worn the glorious green of infantry. Alas gone are these images, replaced by sullen, morbid faces and attire that is as black and torn as the Grim Reaper's cloak. It seems the masses are more interested in the anti-hero, the man or woman who does not seek to do what is right, but stumbles upon the right decision in the end. The anti-hero is disturbed, an outcast, he wants nothing to do with society, he would rather watch the world burn from confines of his isolated haven.

The line between good and evil has been blurred, gone is black and white, in its place shades of grey. I remember the days when you could be certain who was the hero and the villan by their outfits. Typically the hero wore white or light colored araiment (usually blue), and the villan was clad in black or a mix of black & red. By this Children could easily distinquish who was good and who was evil. I praise authors and film makers like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George Lucas, and Walt Disney. These men endeavored to the depict the conflict between the forces of light and darkness with clarity. In alll their tales the heroes and villans are easily distinquishable. The Middle Earthian, Narnian, Star Wars, and Disney tales are a beacon of light a dark age of cinemia and literature. 

Its refreshing to count on stories that will display the conflict of good and evil so that even a child can be certain who the protagonists and antagonists are. However, the anti hero has infected this once sacred dance between the light and the darkness. It has endeavored to confuse and omit that there are fine lines between what is right and what is wrong. I am dismayed that there is a thrust to de-throne the hero. In his place they leave an intemperate bad boy to fulfill the fantasies of certain young ladies. So who will my children grow up to admire? Where have have all the Aragorns gone? The King Arthurs? The Street wise Herculas? Must they be content with Edwards? Potters? and Riddicks? No, I shall not let the minds of my children be tainted by lies of the Enemy. You cannot live on the fence between God and Satan. Satan owns the fence. You must choose whom you will serve, will it be Almighty or the Enemy? Will be it be the cause of good or evil?

I frankly have no angst with anyone who adores villans. I love some of the fictional antagonists, in particular: The Lord of Nazgul (The Witch King), Morgoth, Sauron, Darth Vader, Smaug, Sir Mordred, and etc. I think the allure of the antagonist is not something inheritantly sinister. Without the villan we don't have a narrative. What is the hero to do if not confront his nemesis? The villan is vital to the development of a hero. Without an opressor, a tyrant, or an nefarious leader the plot grows dull. I think in addition to the importance of the antagonist to the protagonist, we find that in the villan we are free to embrace a side of ourselves that we quell everyday. How many times have you wanted to choak someone like Darth Vader when they've been cruel and unkind to you? How often have you desired to make your enemies fear and revere you like the Dark Lord Sauron? There is a sense of power in the villan that captivates us. Granted it is misuse of power, but I think truthfully it draws us because of the passive disposition of many Christians.

Many of us are taught from cradle to endure, to turn the other cheek and let our enemies trampled over us. However, this is not the Christianity Christ meant to embody. Turn the other cheek, like many phrases in Bible has been twisted. However, In the Jewish Culture (the culture in which Christ lived) to Turn the Other cheek means to not recieve the offense again, by turning the other cheek you inhibit the assailant striking you again. Why have we forgotten Christ's outrage in the Temple grounds? He drove money changers out, he wielded a whip. Yet we are taught to stifle the crusader within us and embrace the pacifist. This is a shame and why I think villans have become so appealing, they are proactive, they don't take insabordination or snigh remarks. They express their displeasure openly. However, I am not making a case for villans. I am merely trying to explain why I think they tend to be favorites.

Within us all is the inate desire to rebel, to express our rage and hate without thinking of the consequences. This desire was instilled in us at the Fall and it has caused some of greatest atrocities in history. The hero represents the life God intends for us, to not be passive, but to fight for what is right, to even be willing to die for a heavenly cause. To be a hero means to bare great responsibility, to place the lives of others and their well being above your own. As I have mentioned before, this hero is slowly fading into oblivion. We are being left with the anti-hero and villan. The villan has become aimless, like Captian Hook in Hook, Idle and obessed with finding his Peter Pan.

For without a hero, the villan is not a villan. He is merely just a little worse than anti-hero. The anti-hero is passive and unmotivated, while the villan connives and is proactive. How can a battle ensue between them? If they agree to fight, the anti-hero may not keep his word, since he is not obligated by honor to do so. The villan cannot count on a conflict with this poor substitute for the protagonist. So what shall be the fate of the hero? Shall he be merely a memory or wilt he arise like the phoenix from the ashes and come back to do battle with the villan?