Heroes in Fiction

Heroes are an interesting group of people, and have been helped by greatly in my opinion of fiction literature as well as myths.  Real heroes undoubtedly came first, I could delve into my metaphysical rationale behind that but it would be off topic and unwarranted.

The first fictional hero that comes to mind is Abraham De Lacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley the alley cat.  O'Malley unselfishly goes out of his way to help Duchess and her kittens back to Paris.  His work involves not only letting them stay at his home, but also going to rescue them once they find trouble awaiting them in their own home.  O'Malley is the definition of chivalry, and shows bravery and generosity to the Parisian aristocats, despite being in a lower social caste.



http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/4300000/The-Aristocats-the-aristocats-4397851-768-576.jpg

The next hero that comes to mind would have to be Ransom from C.S. Lewis's space trilogy.  Portrayed as a Christ-like figure, Ransom is asked to remain even keeled despite making numerous journey's to foreign planets, encountering obstacles beyond his understanding, and having, in some circumstances, no hope of returning home.  Throughout the entire endeavor Ransom maintains his generous, understanding mentality, and keeps the betterment of humanity in his sight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elwin_Ransom