American Heroism

Heroes are not born, they are made. This statement is clearly shown throughout Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms and Howard Hawks’ Sergeant York, two texts that successfully demonstrate the evolution of an American hero during the First World War. These texts seek to prove that there is a key area of learning that an individual must master in order to become a true hero. Thus, through the character development of Frederic Henry in A Farewell to Arms and Alvin York in Sergeant York, Ernest Hemingway and Howard Hawks demonstrate that the prospective American hero must learn to love, and to put the wellbeing of others in the foreground in order to achieve true levels of heroism. This will be demonstrated through an in-depth comparison of Hawks
At the beginning of the novel, Henry is shown to have a rather pessimistic view on the world. He believes that his life has no clear purpose, so he often drowns his sorrows in the dark locales of bars and brothels to feel some kind of excitement. For example, upon his return from military leave, Henry knows in his heart that he should return straight to Abruzzi, but his mind craves “the smoke of cafés and […] nights in bed, drunk, [waiting for] the strange excitement of waking and not knowing who it [is] with you” (Hemingway 13). Thus, Henry is characterized by Hemingway as being a lost man who uses the means of booze and sexual intercourse to identify a purpose in life. However, it is with his conversations with the priest that Frederic Henry soon begins to identify the key ingredient that is lacking from his life: love. As the priest states vehemently, Henry is drowning his life in meaningless “passion and lust” (Hemingway 72). To be able to become a true hero and to find utter happiness, the priest reveals that Henry must learn to love, for “when you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” (Hemingway 72) Thus, being taught this education is necessary for Frederic Henry to find his true purpose in life by
This learning curve can lead to various degrees of heroism, such as war heroism, like Alvin York who fights for his country, or family heroism, such as Frederic Henry who fights for the wellbeing of himself and his lover. Although there are many different types of heroes that permeate American society, one must not forget the true definition that brings these different types together as a whole: an American hero is a figure who learns to put the needs of others in the foreground to protect those nearest to his