Whenever we hear about heroes, like Superman or Michael Jordan (if they are what one considers to be a hero), we always hear about their "heroic acts", whether it be saving the city of Metropolis or hitting a game-winning shot. Up until this year, I was rather fine with this view of the hero. But then I read Victory Lap by George Saunders.
Basically, in Victory Lap, the character we see as the hero (Kyle) saves a classmate (Alison) from being abducted and raped. After incapacitating the abductor, Alison is able to escape and Kyle's job as hero is done. But then he almost kills the abductor, who has now became the victim and is at the mercy of Kyle. Kyle almost kills the man, but Alison yells at him to stop, leading to him putting down the rock. Even though we see Kyle as the main, big hero, Alison's actions save Kyle from becoming a killer, a decision which would likely haunt him through the rest of the life. Allison's actions also saved the reader's perception (at least mine) of Kyle being the hero, because the killing of the abductor, who was not dangerous at this point, would be a very unheroic, and even criminal act. It's really hard to see one as a hero when they've committed a crime. This opened my eyes to the fact that even heroes need heroes of their own at times.
To some, this may seem pretty obvious. But I've always seemed to have overlooked this, until now. Kyle may be a hero, but Allison is his own hero as well. I don't know too much about Superman, but he must have had people who were there for him at times, and Michael Jordan definitely has heroes of his own. The thing is that we don't really hear about these heroes, because we are too busy hearing about the heroic acts or view of heroes like Superman or MJ. I don't think this will change, but I do think that's of importance to realize (as I have recently done) that even the most heroic figures have had heroes of their own.
It's interesting that you assumed Alison did indeed save Kyle, whereas we are never concretely told whether Kyle ends up killing the criminal. That being said, I like your observation that heroes have heroes. In popular culture, especially athletics, I hear all the time about athletes visiting kids in hospitals and saying that these children are their heroes. In hearing this from an athlete, it almost makes them more heroic, by being able to connect with people on a human level and to understand the triumphs of people less talented than them.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about our heroes having heroes, so it's really interesting to think about in that way. Our real life heroes were (and I guess still are) just normal people before they were famous/known of, and they must have looked up to someone in their lives. Then with superheroes they usually have (undervalued) sidekicks or helpers that help them greatly in some way.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting aspect in this story is that Alison pretty much saves Kyle from *himself*--from his own pent-up rage (directed subliminally at his parents? "I'm my own man"). If there's an antagonist in his story, it's not the abductor--it's his dad and all the strictures Kyle has to follow. He doesn't hesitate to try and save Alison out of fear for his own safety but, ironically, fear that he'll break his dad's rule and run on the sod. Once he passes this boundary, it's like all bets are off, and he's ready to smash this guy's skull in. Alison calls him back into himself, which I agree, in this context, is a heroic effort.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of heroes having their own heroes. Like it creates a chain, which I think is true. If someone does something heroic, it can inspire other people to do the same, and so on. It's also cool for me personally to hear about my heroes' heroes. It kind of makes them more relate-able and not so "Super", which I think is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteIn the context of Victory Lap, it's definitely true that Allison has her moment of heroism, but until I read this post I'd always thought of her being a hero to the man, not Kyle, since she saved the man's life. But I really like the idea of her being Kyle's hero much more than I like her being the guy's.
I think you bring up a really interesting point about heroes having heroes because it makes them seem more modern and realistic. Alison is like the "damsel in distress" while Kyle is essentially her "night in shining armor," however unlike in classic fairytale stories the hero isn't always perfect and sometimes the damsel has to step in and take control. Even though Alison didn't physically save Kyle like he did to her, she saved him from himself and reminded him who he was so he didn't cross the line from being the hero to the villain.
ReplyDeleteI essentially agree with the previous comments. I think that more realistic heroes need heroes of their own. If a hero has nobody to draw inspiration from, whats to stop them from going astray? I also interpreted the ending as Alison probably saving Kyle.
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