Elizabeth WeissLeopold Bloom: A Modern Hero's Journey In contemporary society, a hero is generally considered a person greatly admired for illustrious deeds or distinct personal qualities. But by literary standards a hero encompasses a broader, more expansive definition. In the realm of literature, a hero can be a mythological or legendary figure, sometimes of divine descent and possessed of great strength - as in Greek mythology - or a man admired for his impressive achievements and noble qualities. In his modernist masterpiece, Ulysses, James Joyce creates an atypical hero characterized by a character who leads an otherwise conventional life. But by examining the similarities between the modernist novel and Homer's Odyssey, I will demonstrate that Leopold Bloom can be labeled a modern hero. Heroes traditionally possess traits that society deems admirable, such as courage and chivalry. They are strong behaviors in both their physicality and their values, and are presented to the public as people who have an honest and highly moral character and who pursue right actions, often facing insurmountable difficulties. In literary works, the hero is the main character and the fulcrum around which the story revolves. The characteristics of the hero commonly reflect on the cultural values ​​of his time because, as the world changes and society's attitude towards it changes, different forms of the hero emerge. In Ulysses, Leopold Bloom is the modern hero. While he doesn't fight Poseidon or a Cyclops, he instead faces the injustice of anti-Semitism and defends a young man who is drowning due to his lack of paternal guidance. In Greek mythology, the hero is often favored by the gods and is, in a sense, semi-divine, very small... in the center of the card... Ysseus. As the typical “good guy,” Bloom personifies all that is right and decent, protecting the innocent and, in his own way, fighting for justice. He may not boast superpowers like Spiderman, he doesn't have the Greek gods on his side, nor does he possess the internal motivation to make the world a better place like Katniss. But Bloom, like all these heroes, still embodies these heroic characteristics. This does not mean that he is the same as Odysseus, but Kenner suggests that they all have similar goals. In our modern world, our heroes are firefighters and police officers, human rights activists, and children willing to stand up to bullies. We no longer fight sea monsters or mermaids; instead we fight our demons and attempt to correct the mistakes that victimize others. Through this connection, it is obvious that Leopold Bloom represents a modern hero of epic proportions.