Summary and Critical Analysis

Summary

Walter Benjamin writes curb the concept of a modern hero in a modern society. In his view, the heroes of contemporary life are the people who suffer from modern society while trying to sabotage modernity. The goal of a hero of modernity is to avoid boredom, the antithesis of modern life. The hero is always looking for activity and stimulation in the urban landscape. Unfortunately, the hero is the victim of modern society and never reaches its target. Benjamin gives four main examples of the modern hero: the flâneur, the gambler, the prostitute and the form of rags.

The flâneur walks the streets with the sole intention of walking and find novelty in the city. The flâneur is to maintain its individuality while walking among the masses. The extreme example is the dandy flâneur, someone who wears clothes of fashion and loves the attention of citizens. The dandy is always watching the activities of the street and want others to look at them himself. The business-as-dandy flâneur is actually unemployment. The flâneur can be a hero because he refuses to participate in the speed of the work that symbolizes modern society.

The next example of a modern hero is played by Benjamin. The player is similar to the flâneur because he refuses to engage in the traditional economy. Moreover, the player wants wealth without the stress and difficulties of the work. The player maintains the appearance of the play but really want the profit. The interesting thing is that the player undermines capitalism, a symbol of modern society to change the economic system to a type of international casino. The player does not have a sense of the past. He always lives in the moment of the game and repeat the same actions forever (Benjamin, 206-212).

The only example of a hero as Benjamin is the prostitute. The prostitute sells herself then she becomes the commodity. A prostitute can be a hero because, like the flâneur, she knows the dark parts of urban life. The sad thing is that the prostitute loses its individuality in the city. Then, the prostitute agrees to a symbol of the exploitation of the capitalist system and the corruption of sexual life. In all, she is a martyr in modern society.

Walter Benjamin was the son of antiques and art dealer Emil Benjamin (1856-1926) and his wife Pauline (1869-1930) (born Schoenflies) in Berlin-Charlottenburg born. His family belonged ...