American heroes have many identifiable traits. A commonality in both Hidden Figures and The Right Stuff is how the films characterized their heroes. Both movies rely on identifiable images of an American hero to in their presentation of the people that worked at NASA. One of the traits that defines an American hero is their boldness of character, their willingness to do what others haven’t. U.S. News and World Report reporter, Roger Simon, conveys the idea, “To be an American is to dare. We will sometimes fail because failure is part of being a human being. But our failures do not define us. Our daring does” (Simon 10). American visionaries have created many positive changes for America. The spirit of these heroes can easily be seen throughout …show more content…
The astronauts of the Mercury Seven, normally stationed at Cape Canaveral, visit Langley Research Center during a public tour in Hidden Figures. In this visit, the astronauts are shaking hands with the research and development team of NASA. The men near the end of the white workers and begin to make their way to the side where the black Americans are standing. At this point, the tour guide tries to send them to another part of the facilities, as she clearly feels that the astronauts have met all the people they needed to meet. The actor that plays John Glenn says, “Well heck, we haven’t shaken all the hands yet,” he then proceeds down the line of African Americans, shaking hands and talking to everyone (Hidden Figures). Although the writers for the movie The Right Stuff do, at times, show their characters as fallible human beings, there are also instances where their characters’ behaviors embody a sense of honor. A confrontation between the Head of NASA and John Glenn leads the Head to deliver the threat that if John does not follow orders than he will be booted off the flight lineup. The astronauts know that if John gets kicked out of the lineup it is likely that their opportunity to go into space will come much sooner. Instead of using this opportunity to advance, they bond together and voice that if Glenn doesn’t go up none of them will (The Right Stuff). In this moment, the viewers of the film understand that although flawed, these astronauts had “the right