Ambush Essay

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Ambush Mini Essay

In the short story Ambush, by Tim O’Brien, the archetype that is the most appropriate and best describes the narrator is “The Hero”. The behavior of the narrator in this short story has certain characteristics that are similar to those of the hero archetype. Although the narrator doesn’t have a fancy costume, and a well-known name, he has military uniform, courage, and bravery.

The narrator of the short story Ambush shares several striking similarities to the hero archetype. The author of Ambush fought in the war and served a duty to his country, for a long period of time. The will to risk your life to fight for what you believe in, is a very heroic act and takes a great deal of courage, strength and bravery. All fictional heroes illustrate these three character traits in their day-to-day lives. The core desire of the hero archetype is to prove one’s worth through courageous acts. The narrator portrayed this desire by going into a potentially dangerous situation in the middle of the night. Him and his well trained team set out in the unfamiliar darkness to fight and ultimately ambush the enemy. When he is faced with the difficult decision of whether to kill his opponent or not, he hesitates but over comes his doubt and remains true to the strategy of the hero archetype which is to be as strong and competent as possible. Heroes, generally serve one great purpose, which is to help and protect others. This resembles the way Tim O’Brien does not inform his nine year old daughter Kathleen about the tragic time he was forced to end the life of a young man in the war. The narrator does this to protect her, he believes that his daughter is too young to understand the complexities of killing someone in a war. If he were to tell his daughter this traumatizing story at such a young age, it would alter her view of him as a kind and gentle role model.

Although, the narrator of this short story and the hero archetype are very similar, there are quite a few societal dissimilarities that differentiate the two. In all movies, books and television shows, fictional heroes end their battle coming out strong and invincible. They feel immensely proud of how they have protected
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