This made me consider that maybe a part of what we think of as being a hero means being a likable character, like Harry Potter. Harry is a character that is likeable, a character whom the reader can feel close to. Harry has several good friends, including Ron and Hermione, who we also feel close to. I feel so close to these characters in this story that I feel like I’m on the journey with them. I’m not just a reader peering into this world from above, but I’m an active part in it.
I did not feel this way at all toward Ged or any of the other characters in this book. I did not find Ged to be a character that I liked and wanted to spend more time with. I thought A Wizard of Earthsea was entertaining but I’m not absolutely dying to read the next books to find out what happens to Ged. I was simply reading about his journey, not actually there with him experiencing it, like I was with Harry.
I think the likeability of the character has a lot to do with whether or not we see them as heroic. A lot of people brought up questions about Ged’s heroism because his hero’s journey is set in motion only because he commits a selfish act. It seems as though everything Ged does, he does for himself. However, Harry is not very different from Ged in this sense. Harry did not create Lord Voldemort and set him loose on the Earth; but two of his main reasons for standing up against him are to get revenge for his parents death and because if Harry doesn’t kill Lord Voldemort, Lord Voldemort will kill Harry. However, I would say without question that Harry is a true hero.
In Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, I struggled a little with Harry. He was really moody and angry through most of the novel and I almost stopped reading it because it was getting on my nerves. This is the same way I felt about Ged. I was half hoping the shadow would defeat Ged and put us both out of our misery. If Harry had been moody like he was in the fifth book from the beginning, I would not have liked the series and I would have had a hard time accepting him as a hero, even if he did defeat Lord Voldemort.
It's obvious that Le Guin did not try to make Ged a very likeable character. You can tell even by the cover of the book in comparison with Harry Potter that the heroes are different. Harry is smiling, warm and open to the reader. Ged has his back to the reader and we can't see his face; he is not inviting or friendly at all. I think Le Guin may be questioning why we have to have a hero that we love and adore and we look past his faults. Why can't it be someone who is not as likeable, but not any less of a hero than someone like Harry?
Pictures of the Book Covers
