True Heroes of Literature Atticus Finch, Macduff, and...

Heroes are typically identified as firemen or police officers -- those who outwardly display courage and strength. While strength and courage are admirable, and even heroic traits, the distinguishing quality of a genuine hero is his/her selflessness. A hero is a person who does the right thing when no one is looking. In literature, there are the heros that are identified for obvious reasons and those that are overlooked because they do not fit a specific criteria. All good literature features a â€Å"backstage† hero, whose actions are not meant to reap personal gain. Possessing moral courage, a true hero does the right thing in the face of adversity. Through altruistic deeds, Atticus Finch, Macduff, and the speaker in â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† all†¦show more content†¦However, although the cause was unpopular, Atticus felt compelled to protect not only Tom Robinson’s life, but to protect his honor. Truly selfless, Atticus represented Robinson despi te the disapproval of his neighbors and some members of his family. As a result of Atticus’ involvement in the case, Atticus and his family are persecuted by racist villagers. Atticus’ moral compass compelled him to stand by a man whom he believed was innocent. Fueled by his convictions, Atticus demonstrated moral courage at great personal expense. By standing up for the rights of one black man, Atticus vindicated the rights of all of the blacks in Maycomb. On the surface, most readers would conclude that the hero in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, is Malcom. Malcom receives recognition as the successor to Macbeth’s bloody tyranny in the conclusion of the play. However, Macduff is truly deserving of the role of hero. Genuinely concerned for Scotland, Macduff abandons his family to travel to England and recruit an army to end the disastrous reign of Macbeth. Macduff begins his vendetta against Macbeth before he has any personal incentive to kill Macbeth; he solely wants to restore Scotland to peace. In an attempt to determine Macduff’s true colors, Malcolm claims to have vices that would prevent him from being a good king. Instead of seizing the opportunity to become heir to the throne like Macbeth had done, Macduff is honest