Rocky Balboa: "Beating the Odds"

As I have mentioned before in previous blog posts, two major themes in "Rocky" are "the American Dream" and "the Underdog". Undoubtedly, Rocky embodies the spirit of the "Underdog" through his struggle to prove himself as not just a "bum from the neighborhood", but someone who has the strength and ability to go toe-to-toe with one of the greatest boxers in the world. The viewers watch as Rocky begins to train harder and get stronger and stronger leading up to the big fight. The movie effectively uses the workout scenes to demonstrate Rocky's determination and "heart" . A scene that stuck out to me was when Rocky finally made it up the long stairs and held up his arms in triumph. As Rocky locked out into the distance, the sun was setting over the city, and you could just feel the pride radiating off of him. In that moment, it was like Rocky ruled the world.

Focusing on the big question: Is Rocky an "American Hero", I would definitely say yes. Although the qualities of a hero vary from person to person and some might not find Rocky's story particularly inspiring, Rocky fits the mold of "American" heroism and the values and ideals associated with it Rocky is a hero because he works incredibly hard to prove himself worthy even in the face of adversity and doubt of all the people around him. Even at an early age, Rocky was constantly told that he didn't possess much intellectual ability, so he could only be successful at something that requires the use of the body. But as the movie unfolds, we can see that Rocky is not only a great boxer, but has a wiser perception of the world, than most people around him.

A pivotal moment that demonstrates Rocky's wisdom was when he realized that the chances of him beating Apollo Creed were unlikely. Even with that realization, Rocky's is still determined to "go the distance" with Creed and stay in the fight as long as possible. Ironically, the events of the movie unfolded as Rocky said they would. He didn't win the fight, but he lasted all the rounds and possibly gave Creed the fight of his career. It was extremely powerful at the end of the fight when the interviewers were bombarding Rocky and all he cared about was finding Adrian. Once they found one another, they admitted their love and just embraced. This is not how you would expect a stereotypical sports movie to end. And because of that, I think "Rocky" is such a great movie. It defies the conventional structure of movies about athletes, where the underdog wins at the end and gets all the glory. Rocky accomplished his goal of "going the distance" and got the woman he loved. And he seems content with that.

So, is Rocky an American Hero? Yes, because he went into the fight as a nobody, with every force against him. Although Rocky didn't "win" the fight, he beat the odds and proved himself a worthy contender. Isn't beating the odds intrinsic to the American spirit?