(Un)surprising revelation about my favorite stories...
Thanks to a link posted by Justin on another-site-which-shall-not-be-named, and some totally unwarranted procrastinating, I found myself reading a lot of movie reviews. I soon determined that several of my favorite moves, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Incredibles, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Star Wars Trilogy (need I specify which three), all had one feature in common: the main hero, though proving himself supremely qualified, ultimately failed to complete his quest alone, if the quest was successfully completed at all. In Raiders, Indy doesn't defeat the Nazis, save the Ark and get Marion out of danger, God does. In The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible needs his family and friends to succeede. In Star Wars, it is the archetypical villan who defeats the Emperor (not our favorite angsty-space-farm-boy from the middle of nowhere). In To Kill a Mockingbird, the South is still racist at the end (and the specific maifestation of that injustice cost a good man his life). Despite being made-of-awesome, and being the noblest character in film (ever), Atticus Finch couldn't even stop that old Sarum bunch without Scout's intervention.
I suppose I find such stories encouraging. Every human being fails somewhere, but perfection is not a necessary prerequisite for significant triumphs. And one can do great things, without having to do them alone. Perhaps it is just a heartening thought during finals week, when one's future always seems to be somewhat in doubt. At any rate, this flawed human is back to the grind.