Despite what the title of this post may imply, I do not consider myself a hero. Similarly, the character I have chosen does not believe that he is a hero, and instead sees himself as a person around whom nobody is safe, everything he touches, every person he affects, is destroyed.
Kaladin of the sci-fi fantasy book Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson begins his life as the son of a poor physician on the outskirts of a province in Alethkar, apprenticing in his father's office. By the end of the first book (this is a series, but I will only look at the first one), Kaladin has undergone tremendous change, joining the army, becoming a slave, being forced to join a bridge crew, build up that bridge crew to keep the men alive, save the life of a highprince and thousands of others, and become the honor guard for said highprince.
What I like about this character is that he is able to overcome tremendous mental barriers in order to better himself. One main feature of this series is that the protagonists (the "Knights Radiant") better themselves through adoption of certain Ideals, and the Ideals that Kaladin adopts himself in this first book include the first three: "Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination," but also more importantly include the phrase "I will protect those who cannot protect themselves." This Ideal is an important one, not just in this series, but also a good motto for life in general.
I would like to say I have also adopted this Ideal, but the truth is that it has not majorly had an influence on my life. It is mainly that he embodies symbols that are admirable in a person, and his willingness and determination to keep pushing is something that I admire in this character and would like to see reflected on myself.
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