The society is slowly transitioning from the traditional perception of heroes. The popularity of anti-heroes has increased over the years. Although unusual, moral grey protagonists such as Bones from Russell Bank’s narrative ‘Rule of the Bone’ have gained public interest and admiration over time. The pertinent question remains why a character such as Bones would be equally if not more likeable compared to a hero. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Spiderman all led normal lives before getting an inspiration to save humanity implying that they did not possess the identifiable qualities of heroes (Neimneh, 2013). The distinct variation between Clerk Kent and Superman was very high that it was difficult for people closely related to the hero to establish a connection between the two personalities. Anti-heroes lack the natural physical and character traits of a hero.
In Bank’s ‘Rule of the Bone’ readers are taken through the transition of the character Chappie who later transforms into Bone who is considered an anti-hero. Chappie is the protagonist in the story, and throughout the whole story, he does not portray any heroic figures such as bravery or courageousness. Therefore, it is surprising that Chappie later becomes the hero in the story. At the beginning of the story, Bone is displayed as a teenager with destructive behaviours such as drug abuse as he takes extreme measures to sustain his Marijuana addiction. Bone was compelled to run away and venture alone, but since he lacked the courage, Bone depended on Russ, his friend, for survival (Bank, 1995). Even as he lived with Russ, Bone was terrified of the gang of biker members they stayed with due to their crooked ways. Bank (1995) elaborates that “Bone was the ultimate little dog and it was all [he] could do to keep from pissing down [his] own leg.”
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The cowardice nature of the character Bone was also seen at the end of the story when he hid behind a woman to prevent Russ from seeing him upon his arrival in Jamaica. In the story, one can determine that Bone lacked a sense of moral obligation when compared to his friend Russ. His timid behaviour led to the death of I-Man who was having sexual relations with Evening Star after he admittedly reported the incident to his father after walking on the two during one of their escapades (Bank, 1995). However after the incident, Bones felt some regret for his part in I-Man’s death, “It was wrong and [Bone] knew it as soon as [he] did it” (Bank, 1995). In concerted efforts to make amendments for his involvement, Bones clobbers Jason, one of the men who killed I-Man, but fails to cause any substantial harm on him and instead ran away in fear. Bank (1995) explains that “as fast as [he] can and without looking back… [Bone] keep[s] on running.”
Throughout his adventurous life Bone losses his innocent perception of the world and witnessed a harsh reality that ultimately enables him to find himself. The difficulties in his life moulded Bone into a better person who had a different understanding of the world (Neimneh, 2013). His troubled childhood included suffering through a divorced home where he was continually sexually abused by the stepfather. Despite all the problems, Bone managed to collect himself and change for the better. He even cared about others although he had numerous issues that he went through himself.
Additionally, Bone witnessed the death of I-Man which also contributed to his loss of innocence. The problems that Bone went through helped to his growth and development. As the story ends, the reader can identify the positive change in Bone and the transition he makes to evolve into the better person, hero.
References
Bank, R. (1995). Rule of the Bone . New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Neimneh, S. (2013). The Anti-Hero in Modernist Fiction: From Irony to Cultural Renewal. Mosaic: A journal for the interdisciplinary study of literature , 46 (4), 75-90. doi:10.1353/mos.2013.0036
