Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown by Schulz

Charlie Brown is the main character of the comic series Peanuts. He can be easily identified as a young boy with a round and bald-like head, wearing a black zig-zagged, yellow, short-sleeve shirt. He is usually seen with his head down, walking to Lucy to get advice for his unhappiness. If not trying to talk to Lucy about his problems, Charlie Brown can be found playing baseball and losing, flying a kite and having it be "eaten" by a tree, deciding whether he should approach the "little red head girl," unsuccessfully kicking a football off of Lucy's hand, or being dominated by his dog Snoopy.

Christmas Day:

Today is the season of giving. People all over the world are sending greetings, gifts, and love to each other. It is a very special day indeed. Charlie Brown is quite excited; he has gotten up extra early so he can be right there when the mailman comes to give him his large stack of Christmas Cards. There he is, hoping that this year he will get a card, because for the past years he has not received any cards at all, none. All the cards mailed to his house would always turn out to be for his dog, Snoopy. What a lucky dog.

But Charlie Brown continues to stand near the mailbox, watching and waiting, until he sees a black spot. Could it be the mailman? The black spot continues to become larger, until it becomes visible enough to reveal that it is only a car. Then, in the far distance, he sees a man walking towards his house. Could he be the mailman? Yes, indeed! The man is dragging a large bag that is filled with many Christmas cards. Charlie Brown is very excited and wonders, could those cards be his? When the mailman finally reaches his mailbox, he places a number of cards into the mailbox, and gives Charlie Brown a single card before he leaves for the next destination. Charlie Brown opens the card, only to find that it has been mailed to the wrong Charlie Brown, and is not for him. It is for someone else, someone with the same name, but in another place. He searches through the mailbox, but all the things inside are addressed to his dog Snoopy, again. With his spirits dim, Charlie Brown walks off to the usual place he goes when he feels sad, Lucy's psychiatric booth. Thankfully, Lucy happens to be there. After telling her that he didn't receive any Christmas Cards, Lucy decides to tell Charlie Brown that if he really wanted a card, he should get himself a card. He takes her advice, but after paying for the card, he still does not feel any better. He hopes that next year he will not have to buy himself a card. In fact, he hopes that next year, his mailbox will be filled with Christmas cards, just for him.

Charlie Brown is my hero because he inspires me to have hope in the things I do. In the comics, he fails in almost everything he does, but he always has hope that one day he will succeed, which does happen, every now and then. Another example happens during Valentine’s Day and Christmas, when people send each other cards and gifts. Each year he does not get cards from anyone, but he never loses hope that one day the mailbox will be filled with cards that are addressed to him. His hope inspires me to have stronger confidence in the things I do, knowing that even if things don't work the first time, there is always a hope that things will work the second time. He also inspires me never to give up, even if it seems obvious that there is no chance that things will happen the way I want them to. Charlie Brown teaches that it is O.K. to ask for help from other people.

In the comics, Charlie Brown always talks to Lucy in order to get advice about his problems. By inspiring me to ask for help, I have a stronger courage to come out from the darkness, and ask for help when I do not understand what is going on, or when I feel that I need assistance in fixing a problem. Even though Charlie Brown is not like other heroes who risk their lives in order to save other people, or who use their time to create something better for humanity, I consider him as a hero because he inspires in me the idea of hope, and of not being afraid of asking for help from others.