Why is Smithy the Hero?

As mentioned recently in class, Smithy Ide is not the typical hero in that he does not rise up as an underdog to change society, yet he does resemble a heroic protagonist for various reasons. Smithy gradually changes his lifestyle, as noticeable by the small details such as his new diet and his phone conversations with Norma, regardless of his journey. Although the chain-smoking and obese Smithy is clearly unheroic in his ways and his objectives in life, yet, after the deaths of his parents and Bethany, he must make a change in his life to escape these emotional problems. He does not commence his quest across the nation simply to change his lifestyle, but simply to escape the pain in his life and temporarily forget it.

Originally, before fighting in the Vietnam war, Smithy was a slim athlete with a promising future, though following the conflict, he becomes an obese, chain smoking man with no friends and a dead-end career. Of course, at this point in one's life, it is difficult to change regardless of the situation, yet Smithy rises above the circumstances in the wake of the tragedy surrounding him in a manner that is oddly heroic to us, but at times cowardly. For example, the overall expedition of Smithy appears heroic: to ride in his bicycle from New England to California, crossing an entire continent. The literary structures he uses to portray his journey also seem to give a humble and heroic impression on the reader, since he is always seen as humble and respectful. Other characters, such as the cops when he is in Ohio and in the Rockies, abuse these traits, thus causing the reader to argue that Smithy's problem is that he doesn't stand up for himself and his rights, especially when he is helping people and in turn is persecuted. Therefore, I would argue that Smithy is the perfect hero since he slowly changes his lifestyle while retaining a heroic and humble personality.