Defining the American Hero
In order to understand the definition of the basic American hero, one must also understand the American Experience that they so often undergo. Here is a poem that clearly portrays the American Experience as established thus far:
"American Dream" by Joseph Mangraviti
You certainly have food on your kitchen table
And a roof over a smart head—very capable!
A great business, a family, friends, and esteem!
You, Champ, have realized the American Dream.
The time has come for you to reach beyond,
Beyond the dream, so to stardom you can bond.
Let your skills, talents, and capabilities shine.
Bring heaven down to earth by attentive design.
You make a delicious sauce and also fine wine.
Hunting, fishing and sports are daringly divine.
Now cross the ocean, fly the air; just don't quit!
Listen to your call: embrace life's opportunities!
Be all you can be: to fine goals yourself commit.
Spread your wings and fly high beyond the skies.
You can practically smell the rugged individualism
You certainly have food on your kitchen table
And a roof over a smart head—very capable!
A great business, a family, friends, and esteem!
You, Champ, have realized the American Dream.
The time has come for you to reach beyond,
Beyond the dream, so to stardom you can bond.
Let your skills, talents, and capabilities shine.
Bring heaven down to earth by attentive design.
You make a delicious sauce and also fine wine.
Hunting, fishing and sports are daringly divine.
Now cross the ocean, fly the air; just don't quit!
Listen to your call: embrace life's opportunities!
Be all you can be: to fine goals yourself commit.
Spread your wings and fly high beyond the skies.
What can be seen here is the essence of the American Experience: the endless chasing of an ideal, or the continuous reaching for a step further. "The time has come for you to reach beyond,/Beyond the dream, so to stardom you can bond." Also consider this quote from the coiner of the term "American Dream": "[It is] a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature of which they are innately capable..." Essentially, reach beyond what you are now to become the "fullest." The American Experience is the idea of always reaching forward for the next level up, just out of reach; the Dream is believing that achieving this is possible.
Further supporting this current definition is the prevalence of this particular theme in American literature. It is exemplified in Gatsby's pursuit of the unattainable and rich Daisy, in Holden Caulfield's quest to protect the innocence in incorruptibility of youth, and in McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's goal of attaining the freedom and individualism lacking on the ward.
And this is how the characterization of the standard American hero can be ascertained: they are, by nature, idealistic, in that they must be able to believe in their endless chase of an ideal and also their ability to eventually reach it. They must also be stubbornly determined, as the Experience lies in the pursuit. All of these traits can, in fact, be seen in most classic American heroes; McMurphy's stubborn resolve and refusal to back down or give up until the bitter end is a particularly straightforward example, and also Gatsby's relentless attempts to win Daisy over the course of five years, and his idealistic belief that he still had a chance of succeeding after all of that time. These are the qualities the American hero thrives on, because they are what are necessary to undergo the American Experience.
Another quality that is needed is a "rugged individualism," as stated in the article, "The Quintessential American Hero." Someone who is unafraid to rebel against the constraints of society and allows for the pursuit of freedom; someone who questions everything. Think of McMurphy's swaggering cowboy facade that challenges the Big Nurse at every turn, or Holden's defiant attitude toward the world at large and his desire to express himself as an individual, apart from the "phonies" of his society.
Essentially, the archetypal American hero can be classified as a rugged, idealistic, determined individual due to the nature of the American Experience.
Further supporting this current definition is the prevalence of this particular theme in American literature. It is exemplified in Gatsby's pursuit of the unattainable and rich Daisy, in Holden Caulfield's quest to protect the innocence in incorruptibility of youth, and in McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's goal of attaining the freedom and individualism lacking on the ward.
And this is how the characterization of the standard American hero can be ascertained: they are, by nature, idealistic, in that they must be able to believe in their endless chase of an ideal and also their ability to eventually reach it. They must also be stubbornly determined, as the Experience lies in the pursuit. All of these traits can, in fact, be seen in most classic American heroes; McMurphy's stubborn resolve and refusal to back down or give up until the bitter end is a particularly straightforward example, and also Gatsby's relentless attempts to win Daisy over the course of five years, and his idealistic belief that he still had a chance of succeeding after all of that time. These are the qualities the American hero thrives on, because they are what are necessary to undergo the American Experience.
Another quality that is needed is a "rugged individualism," as stated in the article, "The Quintessential American Hero." Someone who is unafraid to rebel against the constraints of society and allows for the pursuit of freedom; someone who questions everything. Think of McMurphy's swaggering cowboy facade that challenges the Big Nurse at every turn, or Holden's defiant attitude toward the world at large and his desire to express himself as an individual, apart from the "phonies" of his society.
Essentially, the archetypal American hero can be classified as a rugged, idealistic, determined individual due to the nature of the American Experience.