Green Arrow Heroism

It is strenuous to come up with a definition of the word hero because heroes differ across many facets such as from cultures to cultures, personal backgrounds, goals, choice of weaponry, sizes and shapes it is. Take, for example, a police officer and Superman, who are both considered heroes, however, they differ completely. Superman is immortal, possesses supernatural powers, unprecedented strength and a villain whom he fights. On the contrary, police officers do not possess any of those traits, though it does not make them any lesser. Despite their differences, they share common goals in protecting their respective society, risking their lives and doing well for the greater good of society. Their shared goals define what it means to be a hero
additionally it allows one to further analyze as to why heroes exist in the first place.

Take, for example, in the comic book the Green Arrow published by DC Comics, the superhero, the Green Arrow path to heroism serves as inspiration and a symbol of capitalizing on second chances, and his fight for social equality gives people a sense of optimism for a better future. In doing so, he reveals what is wrong and right and represents the best people.
In the comic book the Green Arrow, the main character Oliver Queen faces a life-threatening experience transforming him from an irresponsible adult to a vigilante hero. His irresponsible actions lead him to fall out of his boat and wash up on an island which seems to be a deserted. Without any shelter or food, the man who’s was born with the silver spoon in his mouth now has to survive on his own. To fend for himself he slowly masters the use of a bow and arrow, builds up strength and establishes skills as a hunter enabling him to survive on his own. After some time on the island, he discovers a drug smuggling operation and decides to shut it down with his newfound skills. Ultimately, he is successful in busting up the drug operation and from that point, the Green Arrow was born. His path to heroism serves as the inspiration to a reader as they relate their daily struggles in life to his adversities in becoming a hero. In “Joseph Campbell: The Man Who Wrote The Book Heroes”, Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals discusses the importance of hero’s. From In Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, they claim the hero’s path to heroism serves as a metaphor for human experience. “Their struggle defines us because it allows us to realize our full potential via triumphant redemption”, points out Allison and Goethals. Humans feed off of hero’s persistence to overcome adversity allowing them to build their own strength and fight through hardship. In the case of the Green Arrow his near death experience, surviving on the island and busting up a drug business ignite inspiration. Before Oliver Queen became the Green Arrow he was born he was born with the silver spoon in his mouth, inherited family fortune, and lived a life without any responsibilities until he falls out of his boat and washes up on a mysterious island. Having lived this life Oliver Queen could have easily given up, however, he uses the time on the island to reflect on the things in life he once took for granted allowing him to mature and grow as a person. After years on the island and busting up the drug operation he finally decides to return back home as not only as Oliver queen but as the Green Arrow. His return as the Green Arrow demonstrates the notion of capitalizing on second chances because he could have returned to his fortune and irresponsible lifestyle. Instead, he goes back as a transformed person who does not use money to get whatever he wants and on top of that he puts the responsibility of protecting his society from social equality on himself.
Green Arrows fight for social equality gives people a sense of optimism for a better future.
In the book, Super-History Comic Book Superheroes and American Society, 1938 to the Present the author Jeffrey K. Johnson discusses the type of hero Green Arrow is. Johnson says, “while Green Arrow was transformed into a liberal activist who was more worried about correcting social wrongs than catching criminals. (Johnson 120)”. Johnson additionally discusses how the first twelve issues of Green Arrow represent social ills of the American society. For example, Green Arrow convinces Green Lantern to assist him in getting a slumlord arrested for trying to unlawfully evict occupants to build a parking complex. His success in taking down the slumlord displays with perseverance, willingness and strength one can fight social wrongs and be victorious. In the article, “10 Reasons why we Need Heroes” Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals confer how heroes provide us with a sense of hope by shedding light on the world's problems. Allison and Goethals say, “Heroes prove to us that no matter how much suffering there is in the world, there are supremely good people around whom we can count on to do the right thing”. By being the person who fights for social rights, the Green Arrow gives hope to those who do not see light at the end of the
tunnel.
In providing a sense of optimism through social activism Green Arrow displays what is wrong and right. Goethals and Allison discuss how heroes are purposely designed to show the kind of behavior needed to better a society. For instance, when Green Arrow and Green Lantern team up to help arrest the slumlord exemplifies how erroneous it is to rob people of their home. Additionally, Green Arrows shows how fighting against corruption and for social rights is the best thing to do because it betters the society as a whole. Furthermore, the actions the Green Arrow takes to protect his society represents traits people have in them but just do not express them due to their past experiences. In the book, Signs of Life in the USA, Sonia Maasik, and Solomon reports heroes represent the best in people because of the traits they possess such as courage, kindness, and selflessness.