Two Heroes of the 1920s: Charles Lindbergh and Dr. Frederick Banting

Two Heroesof the 1920s: Charles Lindbergh and Dr. Frederick Banting Mary Vipond In TheHero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell argues that certain characteristics of heroes, what he calls the heroic "monomyth," are crosscultural ,that the same pattern of separation-initiation-return occurs in all heroicnarratives. 1 While he stresses the similarities between heroic myths, healsoconcedes that "there are of course differences between the numerous mythologiesand religions of mankind" (p. 385). The specific attributes of aheroor ofhis tale are related to the time and culture from which they emerge. Anexamination of the characteristics of the heroes of a particular society mayreveal not only certain basic psychic truths about mankind, but may also reflectnational and time-biased patterns which help us better understand the values of that specific group. Mypurpose here is to examine two heroes of the 1920s-aviator Charles Lindberghof the United States and Dr. Frederick Banting of Canada, discoverererof insulin -to see what that comparison may reveal about the similaritiesand differences between the cultures of the U.S. and English Canadain that decade. In 1929Marc Bloch wrote: Whatdoes it mean if a historian "compares"? Without any doubt it means this: he selects two or more phenomena which appear at first sight to be analogous and which occur in one or moresocial milieus. He finds out how these phenomena resemble or differ from one another, tracestheir evolution, and, as far as possible, explains the similarities and differences. In order tohavehistorical comparison, two conditions must be fulfilled: a certain similarity or analogy CanadianReview of Amencan Studies, Volume 14. Number 4, Winter 1983, 383-99 384 Mary Vipond between observed phenomena-that is obvious-and a certain dissimilarity betweenthe environments in which they occur. 2 My goal here is rather broader than Bloch suggests. If "the hero is notso much a person as a mirror held up to a culture," 3 then perhaps by comparing these two phenomena, namely the heroic statures of Banting and Lindbergh, one may also better understand the environments in which they occurred. Bloch suggested that comparative history could be most useful between societies which are geographical neighbors and historical contempories. 4 Not only are English Canada and the United States neighbors, but they sharea common language and many common roots. Indeed, studying the twoin comparative perspective has become almost an industry, especially from the Canadian end. Too frequently, however, these comparisons have been couched only in vague generalizations. Perhaps more may be revealed by using a much more specific focus. Canadians have always been intrigued by the United States and, sincethe American Revolution if not before, they have defined their society at least in part by comparing and contrasting it with that of their large neighbor. Canadian intellectuals have by and large divided into two camps: those who stress the fundamental similarities between English Canada and the United States, for example Kenneth McRae and Allan Smith, 5 and those who find the two societies quite different, usually on the grounds that Canada ismore conservative and perhaps, as well, more radical, for example George Grant, Gad Horowitz, W. L. Morton and S. F. Wise.6 My comparison of the two heroes, Lindbergh and Banting, begins with that general contrast in mind. If Canadian society is (or was) indeed more "conservative" than American. is that demonstrated by the type of man chosen as hero or by the manner in which he was portrayed? One of the central issues with respect to any hero is his relationship with his community. Is there a contrast here between Banting and Lindbergh which might be indicative of contrasting attitudes or ideologies? Was one hero portrayed in a more idealistic light than the other? Where was each man placed on the scale of tradition versus progress? And finally, what does the adoption and portrayal of these two men as heroes tell us about that ever-fascinating decade, the 1920s? The great virtue of the comparative method is that it allows us to separate out the common from the peculiar factors, and thus better to understand the major differences between two societies. Certain difficulties ensue, however,which must be kept in mind. There might, for example, be a number of reasons for the presence...