Piers Anthony

Piers Anthonyamazon.com

¨Why did things have to be so complicated with human beings?... Yet if we were not what we were, creatures with at least the awareness of purpose and honor, what would we be? Empty knights in armor, seeming so strong on the outside, yet hollow inside?¨ This quote perfectly shows the heroic traits that Piers Anthony exemplifies. Piers Anthony is a famous sci-fi and fantasy author, who has written upwards of fifty novels and short stories. He grew up in London, Spain, and the U.S., as his family moved around a lot. Throughout his childhood he was bullied, and his parents divorced when he was 18. He decided he wanted to be a writer in college, and immediately started on his first novel, Chthon, followed by the first book, A Spell for Chameleon, in his largest series, The Magic of Xanth. A hero must exhibit kindness and an understanding of reality, or not ignoring the bad stuff that happens in the world. Piers Anthony is a hero, not because of his great writing, but because he deals with controversial issues in his books, often showing radically different opinions than what other people in that time period thought, and he helps others not only through his books, but also in real life.

Piers Anthony is and always has been progressive given when he was writing, often dealing with issues that are controversial given the time period his books are and were written in. In his book Harpy Thyme, written in 1993, Anthony reiterates on a topic one of his previous books focused on, having Gloha Goblin-Harpy say

“Ït was nice to have an excuse to visit there, now that her cousin-once-removed Gwenny was chieftess. If only the other goblin tribes could be governed by women too! Then the whole of goblindom would be much nicer. But anything like that was a long way off, if ever” (Anthony, 32).

Demons Don’t Dreamgoodreads.comAnthony is advocating for more women in leadership positions, which was, and still is, an extremely controversial issue. In his previous book, Anthony talked about how the goblins were always ruled by tyrannical males, but once Gwenny Goblin took over, everything at Goblin Mountain was a lot nicer, and much less crude. Piers Anthony grew up in the 30s and 40s, and so was raised surrounded by racism. In his book Demons Don't Dream, he has Doug, a human that came over to Xanth from Mundania in a game, encounter The Black Wave, and when questioned, he says

“But whites just don't date blacks, in my town, not if they want to stay healthy. Itś even worse if a black man wants to date a white girl. We're all in classes together, and we play ball together, and we ride the bus together, but there's a line-” (Anthony, 117)

Anthony deals with racism by having one of his characters blatantly state that whites didn’t go that far with blacks in his town. Later in the book, Anthony has Doug help The Black Wave, finding them a permanent home where there’s no prejudice, and talking about how their lives would be so much better now that they found a place to live, not surrounded by hatred and fear. Piers Anthony has his characters deal with issues that are controversial, especially given the time period, and he expresses his thoughts in a way that shows how he wants other people to believe them, and shows how much he cares for other people.

In caring for all people, Anthony’s found ways to help others through his books and in real life. One of the ways he’s helped is by supporting a girl named Jenny, who was in a car wreck and was paralyzed. It’s been thirty years and he continues to send her letters weekly.

“That is the first year of letters I sent to paralyzed Jenny, who was then twelve turning thirteen, and it includes our meeting at a fan convention in Virginia near her home. She was almost completely paralyzed (and remains so, almost thirty years later) but able to see and hear. This correspondence started when, at her mother's behest, I wrote a letter to Jenny, who was in a coma, and when it was read to her it brought her out of the coma, only to reveal that she was paralyzed. I felt responsible, uncertain whether I should have left well enough alone. Had I in effect sentenced her to lifetime imprisonment in her body? So I did what little I could to cheer her by sending positive weekly letters, which I continue today” (Anthony)

Hiking accidenthipiers.comAnthony felt so bad about the fact that his fan was paralyzed that he’s continued to send letters for almost thirty years. Only someone that truly cares for and wants to help other people would be willing to sacrifice his time and energy to do something like that. Continuing with their relationship, Anthony added to his novels, having her star as Jenny Elf, a main character in several novels. In the author’s note of Harpy Thyme, Anthony wrote

“Jenny Elf did not appear in this novel-she’s entitled to some time off, you know-but her namesake in Mundania continues to improve. But there can be snags. For example, when she was at Cumbersome Horsepital (no, it’s not really called that; I got the name from Letters to Jenny, which has more of our relationship) to sharpen her computer skills, she was outside when another patient had a seizure. Jenny’s attendant hurried to help, forgetting that Jenny’s wheelchair was on a slope. Jenny, strapped in, went rolling off the path and over a bank and cracked her head on the ground. Several stitches, but no internal damage. Her main complaint was when they hauled her off for treatment without her makeup. She was sweet sixteen at the time, and makeup is important. Who says life in a wheelchair is dull?” (Anthony).

Anthony continued to correspond with Jenny weekly for almost thirty years, and she tells him all about her life. He’s written a whole book containing a year of their letters, and included her in several novels, further proving how much he cares about people and what happens to them. In doing this, he has proven how heroic he is by helping others throughout his life, and ensuring that those he cares about are taken care of.

Piers Anthony is a hero, not because of his great writing, but because he deals with controversial issues in his books, often showing radically different opinions than what other people in that time period thought, and he helps others not only through his books, but also in real life. In demonstrating an understanding of the issues in the world and caring for other people, Piers Anthony has shown how heroic he is. The main ways Anthony has shown his heroism is by including controversial issues, such as females in leadership positions and racism, in his novels, and by writing weekly letters to a paralyzed girl named Jenny. Anthony inspires me and others by being a good person in everyday life, and dealing with stuff that affects all of our lives. The most heroic thing possible is to be a good example to everyone, and Piers Anthony has done that throughout his life.

Works Cited

Anthony, Piers. Demons Don't Dream. Vol. 16, Tom Doherty Associates, 1993

Anthony, Piers. Harpy Thyme. Vol. 17, Tom Doherty Associates Book, 1993

“Piers Anthony.” Piers Anthony, www.hipiers.com