Sheilas and Blokes and the Forgotten Romantic Hero

I posted this article two years ago, but I was only thinking about the concept a couple of days ago while watching television. It struck me that often in commercials, the female character is depicted as calm, capable and usually in control. In contrast, the male character is often depicted as incompetent, stupid or at the very least, clueless. This is a broad generalisation, of course, but it happens often enough to provoke my thoughts.

What happened to the strong, intelligent, caring and capable hero? Does he still exist, or has he been killed off by the last wave of feminism?

We Australians are reputed for some funny sayings. Though these names are not used so much in today’s vernacular, in times past the Aussie slang for woman was ‘sheila’, and for man was ‘bloke’.

Some time back, during a Uni lecture – Cinema Screen and Theatre – we were shown a reel that highlighted the Australian movies of the last 100 years. In the reel they had a section entitled ‘Sheilas’ which specifically focused on the way women had been represented on the screen over that time.

I watched with a combination of amusement and cringe as the documentary-maker honed in on the early movies from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s.

The scenes chosen were done so in a deliberate attempt to show the attitude toward women in the pre-feminist era. There was an obvious scoffing at how the hero lifted the heroine from her downcast position, her head lolling back as she stared up in awe at her rescuer.

Cringe.

It did make me want to say, ‘toughen up princess!’

Then as we moved past the 1970’s the heroine became more aggressive, and was able to fend off attackers herself, using bricks and other bits and pieces that came to hand.

Mind you,  the blokes were depicted in this collage as  condescending and verging on arrogant. Sitting in our post-modern era, even I felt like giving them a good shellacking.

As I was pondering on what I had seen during the class, the message I believe was intended stood out.

The helpless damsel in distress is pathetic and needs to be an independent, self-sufficient woman.

The rescuing hero is a self-important, arrogant, oppressive pig.

But something wasn’t quite right with the message, and I was upset by it. I’m a writer of romance. A strong, self-sacrificing hero is essential.

Admittedly, [bctt tweet=”I’m not a fan of a useless heroine. She needs to have some gumption and presence of mind” username=”acwriters”], but having need of a rescue and assist every now and then can lead to some nice romantic interaction.

Examining this idea raises a question: Where does this fascination for a rescuing hero come from?

In the past I have talked about an innate need for a hero/saviour.

The old Webster definition for romance included these words: a fabulous story of love or of war.

Romance is all about strong heroes—action characters who rescue situations and damsels. Why do we, men and women both, enjoy a story of heroism? My immediate response is: all mankind needs a hero/saviour.

Our hero is Jesus Christ who has effected the great rescue of all time. We do not rescue ourselves from sin and death using a brick or anything else. It is the sacrificing blood of Christ, and our grateful response of surrender to Him. Are we pathetic and useless? Perhaps, but we are also saved. Without Christ, our hero, we would be lost, unable to save ourselves. No amount of sacrifice or good works can give eternal life. That can only come through His work.

The metaphor used in the Bible is of Christ the husband and head of the church – His bride. It isn’t politically correct and probably not popular to think of it this way.

[bctt tweet=”But Christ the husband is not condescending, arrogant or oppressive. That is not who our hero saviour is. And I don’t think he calls us to be pathetic and useless either” username=”acwriters”].

Grateful, gentle, submissive perhaps, but not useless. He calls us to courage and action. He tells us to submit our burdens to him and He will be our strength.

So, has post-modern feminism killed off the great hero? How does that affect our view of the need for a saviour? Can the princess really save herself?

For me, I think I will continue to enjoy a strong, self-sacrificing, take-charge hero in the romance I read and write, and keep in mind the Saviour who is all those things and more.

 ‘How Sweet The Sound’ by Meredith Resce is a fantasy story about a hero. Prince Justin is sent to the Island of Terranin to save the governor’s daughter, Christina, from the violent usurper, Lucien. It is a parable of the story of Christ the redeemer.