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Comics are the last morality plays
In the real world there seems to be precious few "heroes" left anymore.
If you think about comics or even our popular novels, heroes come in many layers.
When we are children,
we believe heroes fight injustice
because it is the right thing to do.
As we mature, we realize that what prompts someone to fight the good fight
can differ greatly from one person to the next.
Some fight AGAINST something or someone, say like Batman.
Others fight FOR something or someones, like Captain America.
Then, there is the complex reasoning behind Wonder Woman
who steps outside the box of our heroic expectations:
Why does your protagonist
fight the "good fight"
and what makes it good
in your eyes?
In my last book, he fought the good fight for his world but mostly for his own gain. That gradually changes over the course of the story.
ReplyDeleteThe best heroes have an arc of redemption within their novel, right?
DeleteFor me, Charity MacCay is young, idealistic, impulsive, and inexperienced enough to believe she has to fight for what is right.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I saw only tonight a documentary on MSNBC about Daniel Ellsberg of the famous Pentagon Papers and how he came to the decision to risk everything to get the truth out to the American people, and how he's still fighting the good fight.
Some like Daniel are propelled by their integrity to do the right thing -- and usually pay a high price for it sadly! :-(
DeleteFun topic! I'm working on multiple books right now, but the series I have published is purely motivated by the obligation we have to those we love. Putting others before ourselves is the most noble thing we can do, especially when it means sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteSacrifice is not seen as such by those who love I believe. But I am a romantic! :-)
DeleteI write mostly short stories, but the two books I've written on, the protag is 1) fighting to keep some "normal" in her life. YA and 2) the other is to help find a murderer other than her relative. As I write this, both seem a little selfish. :)
ReplyDeleteWe are drawn to find some measure of balance and peace in our lives so I think it is quite understandable why your protagonists are doing what they are doing :-)
DeleteWell, I think you already know my attitude(s) here, because you coincidentally mentioned my two favorite superheroes, Batman and Captain America!
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to get my hands on the super soldier serum when I was a boy! :-)
DeleteMy first exposure to Captain America was his second Silver Age appearance in Avengers #5. He was telling a bunch of teenagers that they could be just like him if they ate balanced meals, got eight hours of sleep per night, etc. Seven-year-old me thought I could train myself and grow up to be just like Captain America! Then a few months later, I learned his origin when they first retold it in the '60s, and I said "Oh, great! Eat balanced meals, get eight hours of sleep per night, and get injected with a stupid secret soldier serum! What a gyp!"
DeleteI will get back to you on this. I'm currently swashbuckling some of my personal demons. What makes it the good fight as I don't take my personal demons personally.
ReplyDelete