In his 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, author Joseph Campbell defined a hero as "A man or a woman who has been able to battle past his personal and local limitations to the generally valid, normally human forms." Throughout the book, he would later go on to expand this idea, stating that every adventure story follows a similar pattern called the hero's journey: A hero is called out of his comfort zone, out of a place he is familiar with, in order to contend with evils of every sort; he learns lessons along the way, developing himself. growing out of his flaws. He then returns with a newfound sense of who he is, as well as a lesson to be learned, which contrasts his former way of life. These sorts of characters have been fascinating us throughout time, from Homer's Odysseus to modern-day superheroes like Iron Man.
What can literary heroes teach us about Christianity? Quite a lot, I think. Like so many heroes, they are broken with well documented flaws. They start out one way, but through their journey they end up becoming transformed, taking on new perspectives and becoming better people as a result. In the same way, our call to follow Christ follows a similar pattern. Christ's call to "come and follow me" is a call that challenges us to reexamine our lives constantly, drawing closer to him and love him with even greater depth. We may not be facing monsters or threatening villains, but the inclination to darkness within the human heart is a very real one. This is why I think that not all reading should be actually spiritual. Stories like Oliver Twist or one of Shakespeare's plays can provide extra nourishment for the soul, in addition to reading of the Bible or a devotional book.
The best part about all of this is that although we can praise literary heroes for virtuous acts, we can take even greater joy in knowing that the Gospels are not fiction. Jesus Christ was a real human being, and the acts recorded in the four Gospels actually took place. The Crucifixion and Resurrection are the greatest events in a story of profound transformation from death to life, a story of destroying sin and letting grace emerge in its place. So go pick up a good book today. You never know how it might change you.
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