What is a hero? A hero can be described as a person who is respected for the challenges he or she has accomplished and admired for his or her continuous efforts towards helping others. According to American literature, a hero is defined as a protagonist who overcomes his or her fears, or is able to leave the past behind and begin with the future. In both "The Fat Girl" by Andre Dubus and "A&P" by John Updike, the two main characters are perceived as heroes because they learn how to recognize their self worth and how they can improve their self image. Not all heroes are meant to affect the way a society acts, but in this case these heroes are just trying to benefit themselves. .

             A hero has many different qualities that enable him or her to interact with others based on the situation and as long as the person is willing to respond. For example when in war, a hero is envisioned as someone who does courageous deeds and is willing to risk his or her life for what he or she believes in. To an ordinary person, their role model may be someone that is very respected or looked highly upon. However, in American literature, it is a person who changes something relating to his or her life and improves the way they feel about themselves. By these interpretations, Sammy, the protagonist in "A&P", is a hero in terms of American literature because he decided to quit the one thing that was holding him back from a better life. In "The Fat Girl," Louise is considered a heroine because she battles with an eating disorder in order to create a perfect image of herself that she believes will help her to find the love of her life. These two characters are heroes in terms of one definition, but not all.

             Louise gains respect for herself, but does not change or help someone else. She has had an eating disorder since she was nine, dieting in public and sneaking "the sandwich under her shirt [to] go outside or to the bathroom to eat it" (Dubus 45).