By definition a hero is “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” So what is an “Anti-Hero?” An anti-hero is a noble and courageous man much like a hero, but he is selfish and cruel. As readers, we attach ourselves to the anti-hero because we want to see “the good” in everyone. Walter Lee Younger in the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is an anti-hero because of his narcissistic traits, nobility as he evolved, and his passion that drove the action of the play.
Walter Lee Younger exhibits many characteristics of an anti-hero including his egotistical thought process. In the first Act of A Raisin in the Sun, Walter shows his selfishness by giving Travis
Name and Significance Walter Lee Younger is the protagonist of A Raisin in the Sun. The entire plot line is centered on him, revealing his everyday life and struggles.
Walter Lee is the most troublesome person in the Young family. He harvests feelings of inadequacy as a man because he has not accomplished much with his life. Walter is the third generation born in the US. He’s 35 years old working as a chauffeur subject to only driving his white boss around town. As an African American living in the 1950’s the jobs that were available in industries or business were limited to the menial or subservient job positions. The windows of opportunities for a black African American in this country were limited to a small level of success. Walter’s dream of becoming a business man is was just that, a dream. He does not have the proper educated needed to be a successful business man. It is just an image he wants to fulfill
What is a hero? A hero is somebody who is noble; somebody who stands up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. But most importantly, a hero is brave. In “The Scarlet Letter”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Minister Dimmesdale can be used as the perfect example of an anti-hero. Not only does he go against his priestly vows by impregnating Hester Prynne, he then lies about it, therefore condemning her to carry out her sentence alone. While the minister may exhibit good qualities, his actions can in no way be regarded as heroic.
Hero. Hero comes from the greek word heros meaning “A person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage, in the face of danger.” Growing up we have always read stories about heroes coming to save the day; for instance, Captain America. Being that our whole lives we were mostly exposed to heroism, have you ever asked yourself what is the opposite of a hero? A villain is the opposite of a hero, but their is another opposite form of a hero; a tragic hero. A Tragic hero is “A literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (“Tragic hero as defined by Aristotle”). For instance, in the play written by Sophocles Antigone, the tragic hero is Creon. Creon who is Antigone’s
Throughout "A Raisin in the Sun," Walter Lee Younger undergoes a significant transformation, evolving from a disillusioned and self-centered individual into a more compassionate and self-aware man. At the beginning of the play, Walter is consumed by his desire for material success, believing it to be the key to his happiness and
A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined with fate, results into a tragedy. The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery and misfortune. The tragic hero causes a sense of pity through the tragic downfall that weakens the character. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone follows her own beliefs by giving her brother a proper burial, even if she has to break the law of King Creon. Because of her innocent actions, Antigone is punished unjustly and unfairly. Through her risky and unselfish actions, ability to follow her own beliefs, and perseverance Antigone is the tragic hero of this play.
A tragic hero is someone like Hamlet from Shakespeare's play Hamlet. The flaws and struggles within his self on his choices and decisions. No matter what the character does, their flaws will lead to their tragic downfall or something like Oedipus in the Greek drama Oedipus. While an epic hero generally doesn't have the same type of waving flaws that a tragic hero does. They know the correct path in following it no matter what. An anti-hero is a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.
In the reading, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes” by Stephen Garrett, he points out that anti-heroes are becoming more popular than the traditional hero. Garrett states, “the word hero is abused in the news, the sports reports, and even in conversation” (318). For example tabloids recognize someone who battles a drug addiction and overcomes it or a substitute kicker for the football game kick the winning field goal (318). You see he argues that traditional heroes are “boring” and that there are no longer any more real heroes (318-321). Anti-heroes are characters or people who are just evil but still get the viewers to like
Will he ever achieve his goals? In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry perfectly describes this man in the character of Walter Lee Younger. Walter, a hard-headed, money-oriented man grows into an understanding, family-oriented man who wants to make the right decisions for his family. In the end it was the love and support from his family and the loss of $6,500 that drives Walter to become a better person.
Anti-heroes do not solely exist in the fictional world. There are people in the real world, everyday who fit the anti-hero description. They are… the Mob. In ancient times loyalty was purest form of respect. It was a way of life. One was loyal to his or her family, govern, king, and God. Hand in hand with loyalty, comes the right to revenge. The Mob is one of the few “societies” that has reserved that tradition. For example: when a family member is assassinated, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the surviving family to avenge that death. This loyalty to one’s own, coupled with the fierce determination to protect them, are incredibly heroic qualities. Organized crime families are oohed and ahhed by the press and pop culture, and have their own fans. While these people are not ideal role models, they possess heroic qualities worthy of aspiration.
Again, in “A Raisin in the Sun,” Walter Lee Younger was profoundly selfish throughout his entire life. After throwing away the money, he began to make a deal that would only benefit himself and disgrace his family. Like Walter, one often makes decisions that only have a good outcome for themselves: yet, there is always a possibility to become modest. At the end of the play, Walter alters his decision for the sake of his family. Humility works in a way that is constantly changing.
So, who is the villain-hero? This villain may start out at the beginning of the story as a hero, or he may possess heroic characteristics, such as charisma, or he may have a
Hearing of the word hero brings to my mind a good looking man with some qualities of fair, equal, courage, brave, honest and a positive leader. This makes the opposite a villain a person who wishes wrong for someone or a person who creates evil. The event changes dramatically, a hero of the past may not be considered a hero in the present and versa. Hernando Cortes a hero for joining two worlds and conquering the most powerful civilization of America or Hernando Cortes a villain for making the Aztec Empire disappear. Hernando Cortez was an important symbol for the explorations, but killing people, ending the most powerful civilization in America and spreading diseases does not makes him a hero. With
According to Neinmeh, the anti-hero stemmed from the social changes following World War II. During the war, superheroes and idealized protagonists were all the rage, because that’s what the country needed during the difficult war years. After the war ended, stories of young men who were seemingly nothing special, became life savers, rescuers - everything the world looks for in a superhero - under the intense pressures of battle, capture, lack of food and other horrors of war. Audiences enjoyed these war stories and began to desire similar types of stories from their fiction of choice. Neinmeh believes that it was this shift that really brought the anti-hero into the limelight and began what is now our current interest in the topic; however,
Anti-heroism is the term given to a character or person which possesses unique qualities opposite to the ones of a hero. An anti-hero is known to be coward, flawed and weak, morally and mentally. The anti-hero may also portray characteristics of selfishness, as he does not realize that he only thinks in his own safety and success and forgets about others people status. The anti-hero is complicated to understand as this type of character is expressed indirectly throughout literature and is often alike to what is a villain in several ways. Yossarian in the novel, Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, shows characteristics that respond to those of an anti-hero due to his emotional status in the Air Force, his morality towards what he experiences, and his everyday situations that make him want to leave the Air Force.