It's common for people to believe that a hero is someone who is perfect- a character without faults and who always has the right answers. However, I do not believe this is true. I believe a hero can have many faults, and can even learn to use those faults to his or her advantage. This may seem like a strange belief to most people, but after reading the novel A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, it's become clear to me that this is true.
At the beginning of the novel, we first meet our protagonist and future heroine, Meg Murry. Meg is a very unlikely hero. This is because she's impatient, headstrong, lacks self-confidence, and is overall very immature. Meg's impatience is shown many times throughout the story, especially when she demands answers and explanations to things. This also shows that Meg is headstrong, because she refuses to accept that certain things cannot be explained. For example, during a conversation with her mom, Meg asks her mother question after question, trying to understand the strange events that have been happening, how they are connected to her father, and what makes her brother 'different.' Even though Meg says she'll "just have to accept it without understanding it," it's obvious that this thought frustrates Meg, who snaps a pencil in half while trying to understand what's been happening. Meg's lack of confidence is also given away many times in the story, but is most obvious in the first pages of the book when Meg calls herself a "monster." It's easy to tell that Meg does not think very much of herself because of all the trouble she has in school, and because of her braces and glasses. Together these actions also show that Meg is immature in the way she thinks and behaves. However, throughout the story Meg faces situations that force her to grow up and change her way of thinking. This lets her overcome her insecurities, and learn how to use these 'faults' to her advantage.
