Tessa Gray, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs

"'Well, I don't want you [Jem] to die,' Tessa said. 'I don't know why I feel it so strongly -- I've just met you -- but I don't want you to die.'"

"'And I trust you,' he said. 'I don't know why -- I've just met you -- but I do.'"
"'It was books that made me [Will] feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them.'"
Everyone has their own hero, whether it's Iron Man, Katniss, or Rosa Parks. They honor their heroes for various reasons, but the most prominent include bravery and cunning. My heroes, are Tessa Gray, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs from the Infernal Devices series. They are not characters to pity, but rather be in awe over their incredible gifts. Each character displayed human, and not so human, attributes.

1  Theresa, or Tessa, Gray, was a sixteen-year-old former resident of New York City who moved to London, England during the Victorian Era. She had brown hair, gray-blue eyes, and a passion for literature. However, when she was kidnapped and said to be a shape-shifter by two warlocks, her realistic world crumbles. Tessa honed her ability to become another person and could hear/speak their thoughts. Then, during her capture, the Shadowhunter (demon slayer) Will Herondale rescued Tessa and brought her to the Institute, a safe-haven for Shadowhunters, Through all of this, she remained sane and level-headed. Nate, Tessa's brother, was thought to be a victim of the evil mastermind Mortmain. After all of the stress of being kidnapped and learning she was not human, Tessa now had to deal with the discovery of her brother's betrayal. It turned out that Nate worked for Mortmain, whose mission was to destroy the race of Shadowhunters. So, Tessa fought against her sibling, which proved her loyalty to her friends, the Shadowhunters. "she [Tessa] kicked up and backward, the heel of her boot colliding with Nate's knee... she kicked out at him again and caught a glancing blow on the shoulder."  Tessa was willing to do what she knew to be morally right, even if it meant being an enemy of her blood related kin. Her battle against Nate was just one of many, and her loyalty in her Shadowhunter friends versus Nate. After months of training, this shape-shifter finally put use to her newly honed skills against Nate once more. Tessa's will for integrity and loyalty to her friends helped save her from the depths of grief she faced at her brother's betrayal. The ability for Tessa to move on made her a hero.

Tessa, Will, and Jem all were heroic in how they faced their physical and mental challenges. Tessa endured her brother's betrayal, pressed forward, and chose loyalty over blood relatives. Will made everyone loathe him, went through the pain of not being loved, and valiantly stated his feelings for Tessa. Jem dealt with the knowledge that he was dying, killed a vampire, and chose Tessa over the self-pity of his illness. To be a hero does not necessarily mean wearing a cape or being able to fly. To be heroic, an individual can be brave, face mental and physical challenges without faltering, and choosing the right path when the wrong path would be easier.Though Tessa, Will, and Jem faced struggles and hardships, they bravely responded to them, which made them become my heroes.

William, or Will, Herondale, was a handsome Shadowhunter with black hair and blue eyes. However, despite his looks, his cool demeanor ruined his perfection. Will had to be a master of masking his emotions and expressed "puckish malice." He was cursed by a demon, that everyone who loved him would die, when he was only twelve years old. After abandoning his family who had left the Shadowhunter society, he went to the Institute to train how to become a Shadowhunter. He loved everyone so much that he made all people hate him. "You've spent the last five years convinced that no one could love you because if they did, they would be dead." One day, Will was sent to rescue Tessa and fell in love with her. But, he had to make sure that she could not love him, so he glared at her and spoke unthinkable things to her. Then, he captured the demon who cursed him and was told that there never was a curse on him; it was all a lie. His sister was killed because of the demon, and Will was filled with internal agony. "'My sister died. She died, and there was nothing I could do about it,' he said, and there was raw grief in his voice." Will was in a torrent of pain, with the knowledge that he had withdrawn himself from Tessa and everyone else he knew. "'Everything I've done... All the lying, the pushing people away, the abandonment of my family, the unforgivable things I said to Tessa - a waste.'" Will's ability to cope first without love and then with the knowledge that it could have been there would have been destructive in most individuals lives, but Will decided to come out with his true feelings, a further act of heroism. "'I love you Tessa, and I have loved you, almost since the moment I met you.'" He also had to cope with the fact that Tessa was engaged to Jem and refused Will's affection. This was his most heroic act of all.

James, or Jem, Carstairs was a tall, slender seventeen-year-old with silver hair and eyes. He was kind, quiet, trustworthy, and smitten with Tessa. She described him as "...steady and reliable as a heartbeat." Jem was also Will's parabatai, or best friend whose powers he could draw on. He moved to the Institute while young and met Will there. Before, he had been orphaned when a demon killed his parents. As a method of torturing them, the demon forced Jem to eat yin fen, an addictive silver powder, which is how Jem had silver hair and eyes. It was a drug that would kill Jem when he stopped taking it, but in taking it, he was dying. Yet, Jem was always the one who cared for others, opposite of the outward behavior of his parabatai. "Any effort to remain cheerful and calm in the face of his own dying." Jem was the greatest example of a heroic figure because he faced his inevitable departure with seeming indifference. He instead focused on the needs and desires of others. This quiet you man saved Tessa's life in combat, which showed his bravery as a Shadowhunter in battle. "The vampire lunged forward-and exploded into a shower of dust and blood...He [Jem] held the blade in his left hand, his right hand was empty." So, Tessa was saved from a vampire bite because of Jem's fast reflexes. Jem loved Tessa, and this was difficult for him. He knew he would not live long, and he did not want Tessa to have to grieve for his death and be a widow at such a young age. Finally, his feelings for Tessa won the internal battle he had fought, and he proposed to her. Once again his bravery was tested and he came out victorious. "'I can offer you my life, but it is a short life; I can offer you my heart, though I have no idea how many more beats it shall sustain.'" Jem thought of Tessa's and his own happiness and put it above his illness. His affection, skill, and love made him the perfect example of heroism.