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by Peace, 20 August 2010
“I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.” Aunt May in Spiderman II.
In Spiderman II, our fledgling hero Peter Parker is juggling so many responsibilities – school works, part-time job, and superhero adventures – he is having trouble keeping all his balls in the air. He drops from top student in his school, is scolded by his pizza delivery boss and even his landlord has grounds for complaint.
All his troubles, including not keeping promises he made to the girl he likes, stems from his newfound superhero duties as “Spiderman” - crime and fire fighter. After many setbacks in his personal life, he decides to hang up his costume and mask and give up his role as protector of the city. He wants to get back his old life and return to being just ordinary Peter Parker. It is then that he finally summons up the courage to confess the truth about his guilt to his Aunt May; the truth that he was partly responsible for the untimely death of his beloved Uncle Ben.
Then, in the most memorable moment of this film, his aunt, rather than reprimand him, instead takes Parker in her arms and comforts him by saying that she is “proud” of him for his honesty and for admitting to her something that must cause him much pain and discomfort. It seems that young Peter Parker benefited much from the kind and wise council and treatment he always got from Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Their gentle advice works to guide Parker and keep him on the right path. In that way they were effective ‘role models’ for young Parker to learn what it is to be a good, responsible and mature adult.
As soon as Spiderman disappears from the crime fighting scene, New York City’s crime levels rise to pre-Spiderman levels. Eventually, Spiderman does return.
In our daily lives we might wish for a HERO to save us from our worldly problems. But, if we took a moment to think about it, we’d realize that it might in fact be better if we sought instead to make ourselves stronger, and thus capable of solving our problems without waiting passively for a hero to come to our rescue.
If we are too weak to take care of ourselves then how could we be expected to help others. So, much as young Parker's compassion and empathy for those in need is admirable and is a good model of behavior for youth, his example also illustrates the importance of taking care of yourself first, before trying to help others.
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