Comparative Study on Similarities and Differences between Chinese and American Hero in Movie

Updated: 2013-10-09 15:19

By Wanying Zheng (


4. The analysis of the differences between American and Chinese heroism in the movie

The different cultural background is the key to decide the different fates of Chinese and American heroes. With one come from western culture and the other come from the eastern culture, the definition of social value of hero is different from each other. In this thesis, the origins and cultural backgrounds of hero in both countries will be analyzed.

In American culture, firstly, American society values individualism. They stressed pursuing one’s goal and desires while opposing to the sacrifice of individual interest. The uniqueness of every person is also considered as an important thing. Thus, hero images coming from this society always have their own characteristics which are apparently different from others.

Secondly, in American history, people came from different corners of the world. In order to establish their new hometowns, they should conquer the harshest natural conditions. Thus, people in America has acquired a great tradition that they are used to face and defeat challenges in their lives and keep their curiosities to explore the unknown world. In addition, the legend of cowboy also helps shape the American cultural value, constantly and unconsciously. In this thesis, it is not surprised that to defeating failure is a kind of characteristics that would not be absent in heroes.