Odysseus vs. Anse

On the surface, Odysseus and Anse are almost polar opposites.  Odysseus is a king, whereas Anse is a poor farmer.  Odysseus is adventurous, powerful, and diplomatic.  Anse is a hermit, both physically and emotionally weak, and unskilled with language to say the least.  Yet they do have their similarities, and although I'm not trying to paint Anse as the modern Odysseus, some of Anse's traits do portray him as a potential candidate for a hero.
Anse does have quite a bit of pride despite arguably having little reason to, specifically in his ability to provide for his family.  Just as Odysseus's pride in his combat and leadership skills, this is probably considered the most defining characteristic of a man in this era.  To be a man who cannot provide for his family is to be a failure, and with a general consensus among the characters being that Anse is extremely lazy and unproductive, our protagonist(?) may have to step up to protect his reputation.
In a more abstract way, Anse is someone who values wisdom just as Odysseus does.  We see a clear example of this for Odysseus when the sirens tempt him with the promise of endless knowledge, specifically of the events surrounding the Trojan War.  Anse seems to spend all of his waking hours philosophizing about something or other.  Related to this, the two characters are very firm in their ideals.  For Odysseus this entails the importance of hospitality and the emotional attachment to his homeland, and the exacting of revenge to defend it.  Anse also believes strongly in the attachment of a family to their land and home, and goes so far as to greatly inconvenience himself and others to bring his wife to what he sees as her proper resting place.  He is willing to make a sacrifice to defend his beliefs and honor, which is unarguably a heroic characteristic.

Heroes in Literature vs. Heroes in Life

As we know, the term hero is thrown around quite a bit in this day and age, often in situations that most would agree don't quite match up to the heroes of old (e.g. role models).  However there are also those who are labeled as heroes for a single action, such as saving someone from a fire or from being mugged etc.  Not many people would question the heroism of these individuals, and undoubtedly they act with bravery and morality, but how well does this match up with our concept of the literary hero?
In literature, heroic stories often explore themes such as sacrifice, redemption/vengeance, passion, morality, and countless others, but these themes are noticeably lacking from most "real hero narratives" if you will.  Saving a civilian in need is rarely premeditated.  It is likely not the "climax" of said person's life, nor is it necessarily a pivotal point in their psychological development or journey.  The event itself is a story.  These "heroes" are very unlike literary heroes who usually set out with a life goal, must endure many hardships and self-sacrifice, and finally emerge victorious, a changed being, and not always for the better.  There is an implicit criterion of these heroes where their heroic action cannot be separated from their existence; their goal is their end all be all, their ultimatum.  In a sense they personify the ideals and purpose behind their heroic action.  Even athletes, who on the surface seem less heroic than the aforementioned good citizens fit much more neatly into the literary hero category, as they possess similar devotedness to their passion.

Athletes

Early this semester we talked about whether athletes could be considered heroes or not, with many deciding that they aren't truly heroes because they do not achieve something of worldly value, i.e. saving a life or generally improving the conditions of others.  For the vast majority of athletes, this is most certainly the case, however under a more general definition of heroism, such as Campbell's, I believe that all competitors can be heroes.
This is especially clear for athletes who previously lived in poverty, struggled with chronic injury, death in the family etc.  They overcame hardships to accomplish their life goal or dream, and this is something that most people would look up to as heroic.
However for those that didn't have these clear-cut difficulties, for those that grew up in middle-class, functional families, the line between hero and citizen is not well-defined.  I mentioned the concept of the underdog in class as an example of a competitor taking on heroic qualities despite being otherwise quite ordinary.  The truth is that all competitors are underdogs at one time or another, struggling to become a member of the elite or even just recognized.  The obstacles they must overcome are inherent to competition: failure, doubt, disrespect, loss of motivation.  For those truly driven individuals, these are problems every bit as serious as poverty or tragedy.  Competition is a perfect example of the setting out on a personal or spiritual journey that Campbell pins down as the defining characteristic of a hero.  Competitors live a primarily tortured existence; they feel the need to prove themselves through success that they know cannot be attributed to anything but their own merit, which is in many ways both a blessing and a curse.  When glory is finally achieved, it was all worth it, yet for many it is unattainable.

Kyle as a Hero

As was the general consensus in class, Kyle can be seen as the primary hero in Victory Lap because he has the courage to break away from his confines, both those set forth by society and those by his parents.  His saving of the damsel in distress is likely the most archetypal conclusion to a hero narrative.  Yet as a protagonist, he is anything but conventional.  His likable, innocent, nerdy personality isn't uncommon in modern literature, but his inner, psychological state is completely wacky.  Kyle emerges from a highly restrictive environment, not only obeying his parents' rules, but conforming completely to them, so much so that his father resides in his consciousness, and he doesn't dare to disobey.  Unsurprisingly, Kyle has built up quite a bit of anger over the years and lets it all loose when he attacks the unnamed assailant.
While saving Alison, Kyle almost goes too far in his berserk state and nearly delivers a killing blow to the man.  This topic generated some controversy as to whether Kyle is actually a hero or not, and whether he had truly acted with courageous intentions.  I think what Saunders is really emphasizing here is that behind every heroic action there is an imperfect human, with complex motives and emotions.  Saunders goes through a lot of trouble to introduce Kyle and Alison as initially (at least partially) insane characters, but in their social interaction they seem perfectly normal.  Every human is like this in one way or another.  We can never fully understand the actions of a hero, but we accept that the time and conditions were right for that person, and that the world is for the better because of it.