“Just stay quiet and you will be okay.”
-Mohammad Atta, 11 September, 2001
Meet John Doe.
He’s a solid citizen, if somewhat boring. He holds a steady job, one that isn’t exactly glamorous, but is of value to society. He has a supportive family and community, he has ordinary hobbies, he is the very definition of normal. He’s a trucker. A plumber. A high school teacher. He’s the last person you’d expect to go looking for trouble.
Then he is thrust into circumstances beyond his control and has to dig deep into himself to become the hero.
This is the essence of the everyman hero: an ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and rises to become a hero.
He has no special skills or experience suited for his adventure. He may have friends and family who do, but he is not himself anywhere near their calibre. Chances are, he never even realised he’d be caught up in special circumstances. He probably isn’t ready for the challenge. When it comes to him, though, he must rely on his grit, determination, resourcefulness, courage and wits to win the day.
The Everyman was once a staple character in popular fiction. Among the most famous of them are Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. Representing the archetypical English country folk, the hobbits are peaceful and retiring, with little inclination towards arms and adventure, but when they are thrust into an epic adventure, they rise to the challenge to save the world from the ultimate evil.
The hero archetype is an aspirational ideal. He represents the apex of mankind. What skills, gifts and experiences he has, he uses it in the service of others. At the same time, these talents set him apart from humanity. He possesses abilities few, if anyone else, do. He feels remote, even distant, to the audience.
The everyman is the hero we can be. Here and now, wherever we may be, he shows us that we, too, have what it takes to be the heroes of our lives. You don’t need to be a Tier One special operator, a demigod bestowed with divine power, or an isekai’d Japanese high school schooler granted a cheat skill. You need courage, fortitude and virtue, which anyone anywhere can cultivate.
