M. Gregory Kendrick - The Heroic Ideal : Western Archetypes from the Greeks to the Present

Ackowledgments

This book would never have seen the light of day without the indulgence, encouragement, and assistance of students, colleagues, and friends. I am particularly grateful to all of the freshmen at UCLA who have taken my first year seminar on the heroic ideal in the West and afforded me the opportunity to develop and explore the ideas and themes at the heart of this work. Special thanks are also in order to the following individuals who read and edited various drafts of this books chapters, and provided me with thoughtful advice and criticismRichard Hoffman, Jon Friedman, David Mattingly, Dennis Claxton, Joseph Nagy, and Joe Menosky. And last but certainly not least, I wish to express my gratitude to the many peopleyou know who you are whose love and encouragement have sustained me through the six years of this project.

Introduction

Heroism and the Human Condition

There is a brief scene in Return of the Jedi, the third installment of George Lucas original Star Wars space opera, in which Luke Skywalkers droid companion, C3PO, relates to an audience of Ewok villagers some of the particulars of his human masters struggle against the evil Empires Darth Vader. The recounting of this tale takes place in a large firelit arboreal hall and is accompanied by some dazzling special effects, courtesy of the advanced digital circuitry of its android narrator. While C3PO describes space battles, breathtaking escapes, and light saber duels, the camera moves in on his attentive listeners, treating the film viewer to tight close-ups of wide-eyed children and their thoughtful, appreciative elders. As the scene draws to a close, it is evident to the movie audience that they are witnessing the birth of a heroic saga that will entertain and enlighten generations of this alien tribeas well as their counterparts in galaxies far, far awayfor centuries to come.

Mention is made of this particular scene because it underscores both the venerable nature and the enduring popularity of the heroic ideal in human culture. One does not have to be steeped in film theory and practice, for example, to realize that Lucas has inserted this episode in his movie for the purpose of alerting his audience to the fact that they are participating in a tradition that stretches back to pre-literate times. Just as bards and poets once recounted the deeds of extraordinary hunters and warriors to human bands huddled around nighttime fires, this scene reminds us that filmmakers now use the lexicon and technology of the cinema to recreate similar tales of heroism for a modern public huddled together in darkened movie houses around the arc lights of film projectors. Indeed, one of the most striking aspects of the heroic ideal is that some four hundred thousand years after the first appearance of thinking man on this planet, heroes and the tales of their adventures remain a constant of the human condition.

Lucas scene also highlights some of the reasons why our societies continue to embrace these extraordinary figures. The obvious enjoyment of the Ewoks, for example, underscores the fact that stories about heroes are usually ripping good yarns that allow their listeners to escape from the doldrums of their daily lives and vicariously enjoy unfamiliar experiences and emotions. It is also important to note, however, that in this scene the narrator, C3PO, is doing something more than merely recounting entertaining tales of Luke Skywalkers derring-do. He is also telling his audience a story about the perils of untrammeled power, the necessity of defending republican democracy, and the importance of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and public service. In doing so, Lucas android surrogate is reminding us that the tale of the hero is not merely a vehicle of escape but also a powerful heuristic in the search for answers to questions about lawful authority, right conduct and essential goodness. Indeed, from Homer to the present, individuals, tribes, movements, and nation states have all used the heroic ideal to propagate and perpetuate codes of moral conduct, religious beliefs and practices, and systems of economic, social and political control.