April 7, 1999

Heroic Sacrifice

Sacrifice--a penultimate end for any protagonist. Something in us seems attracted to the idea of a hero giving away life or love or glory for the betterment of everyone else. So many stories use this--how many tales end with the hero and villain meeting a simultaneous end? There are other variations on this basic motif. Consider Bogie in "Casablanca." He surrenders the love of his life so that she may live a happy life without regret. What's so valiant about the heroic sacrifice?

I don't have an answer and I don't want to offer any explanation. None. I just keep thinking of the hero's thoughts at that moment. Does the hero feel heroic? I can see how the hero could think, "I just did good," but doesn't that pride diminish the importance of the act. Shouldn't the pain of the act, the penance, be more pervasive on the hero's part. It seems like the best feelings should be a slight comfort at knowing that what you did was for the best, but also a deep longing and regret for what has been abandoned.

Of course, this isn't about heroes, but everyday people who make a choice... a choice to give up on some honest desire that cannot simply be fulfilled in this world. They will always have the dreams and the regret, so how do they cope? How do they cope? They are not heroes, just people. How do people cope?