The qualities of the hero and antihero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The qualities of the hero and antihero - Essay Example Playing the hero, Indiana Jones is an idealist. He starts a principled journey against the powerful Nazis and their leader Adolf Hitler in search of the Ark of the Pledge. Indy stands up to bad guys, Nazi thugs, who are determined to acquire the ark. He sacrificed himself against great odds. For instance he compromised his distress of snake in order to acquire the ark. Indiana role as a hero also demonstrates when he rescues Marion and reclaims the ark from Belloq and the Dietrich. Jones is always pro-active and makes effective decisions. For instance, when he surrenders rather than destroy the ark, an important historical artifact, now in the possession of Belloq. Indiana always succeeded in his goals, which is a true definition of a hero. He managed to keep the agreement out of the reach of the Nazis. Playing the role of an anti-hero in the movie Payback, Mel Gibson (Porter) is a realist. Porter is a criminal: a killer, a thief, a thug, a gambler, a cheater, and a liar. He murdered many, including Resnick and Philip. Self-interest drives him as shown when he narrated; he had $70,000 robbed from him, and that is what he desires to get back The heroism in him demonstrates through the vengeance mentality. He stands up to authority in tracking the money that had passed into the hands of "the Outfit". In order to reach Resnick, the Porter first dealt with Arthur Stegman, the Chinese trios, crime bosses from the Outfit, and the unethical police detectives Leary an d Hicks. Most notably as an antihero, Porter eventually fails in his goal of reclaiming the money. Harrison Ford depicted as Indiana Jones is evidently a masculine character. Indiana shows heroism through the enormous resources he possesses for the use of the gun, fists and whip when relevant. Indiana also demonstrates the character of a rebel. In a general view, Indiana