The Antihero, Part II

By Robert Ringer

The message from The Graduate that I was referring to at the end of Part I of this article is simplistic but true. It’s a message that has transcended the ages: Never give up. Watching The Graduate reminded me of a Lucite cube I gave my son when he was very young. On it are inscribed the words: Whatever It Takes! To this day, it sits atop his dresser.

Which, in turn, reminded me of the latest antihero tale that has unfolded before the entire world, that of Susan Boyle. She’s the frumpy-looking forty-seven-year-old Scottish lady who shocked Simon Cowell and billions of people around the globe with her dazzling performance on the U.K. version of American Idol — Britain’s Got Talent.

The unmarried Ms. Boyle claims she has never been kissed and, predictably, was bullied as a child. Considering the way the judges smirked and snickered at her before she lit up their eyes with her singing, this article probably could have fit into The Cho Factor series. The judges were playing the role of adult bullies, a role that has made Simon Cowell a wealthy man.

Watching Susan Boyle speak, my hunch is that she has been saddled with some sort of “life-functioning deficit.” From the little bit she has revealed about herself, it is certainly reasonable to assume that this remarkably talented woman has led a difficult life.

Which is why it excites anyone with a pulse to see her become an overnight sensation. Right now, I guess you could say that she’s the Rocky Balboa of the entertainment world — though, of course, no one can know for certain how the long term will play out for her.

Now, you may be thinking that the stories of Susan Boyle and Dustin Hoffman’s character in The Graduate don’t have much in common. And, on the surface, I would agree.

But you have to look beneath the surface to see a common thread: Whether you’re someone who has been taunted, snickered at, or just ignored — or you’re a Ben Braddock who has been told that it’s too late to achieve a dream — it would pay big dividends if, during difficult times, you would make it a point to think about what makes an antihero an antihero.

Antiheroes aren’t flashy, brilliant, or overpowering. Their main weapon is that they never give up. They do whatever it takes.

To be sure, Susan Boyle’s story is a one-in-a-million, but the lesson to take away from it is that when she got her shot, she delivered the goods. At one time or another, I believe that the door cracks open, at least a sliver, for most people. And when it does, (1) you have to be ready and (2) you have to make the most of the opportunity. This, to me, is what makes Susan Boyle a classic antihero.

Ben Braddock’s circumstances in The Graduate were, of course, much different than those of Susan Boyle. Ben grew up as a privileged child in a wealthy family, and was a totally lost young man at the age of twenty-two — so much so that his parents tended to do his talking for him.

That is, until he knew what he wanted. And that’s what brought out the antihero in him. Maybe the exact way he did what he did could happen only in Hollywood, but, in my experience, the real world is often stranger than the world of celluloid. You may not always win in life, but it’s amazing how many times you can win simply by being quietly relentless.

The truth be known, most people have the capacity to be antiheroes if the requirements to be one were taught in school. But that would fly in the face of the government’s desire to make us conformists who are dependant on politicians. If you feel like you’re falling into that seductive trap, I suggest you treat yourself to another viewing of The Graduate. And this time, take notes.

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Liberty Education Interview Series

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