Abstract America is the movie center; it exports a large number of movies every year. The movies win huge box offices through the grand scenes and gorgeous computer generated techniques. At the same time, American cultural values spread all over the world with the movies, among which heroism is a widely publicized theme. The thesis discusses the heroism in the Mission Impossible series. Through analyzing the movies, we can know the historical development of the heroism and its characteristics. On the basis of this, the thesis further discusses the reasons for Americans’ focus on heroism in their culture and its implications to us Chinese.54810

Keywords: American movie; Mission Impossible series; heroism 

摘要美国是世界电影中心，每年向世界各地出口大量影片。在通过浩大的场面和华丽炫目的电脑特技赢得巨大票房的同时也将美国式的文化价值观传播到世界各地。在这些充分吸引人们眼球的美国大片中，充斥着大量以个人英雄主义为主题的影片。论文讨论《碟中谍》系列中的个人英雄主义。通过分析电影，我们可以了解个人英雄主义电影的历史发展和它的特点。论文在此基础上探讨美国文化重视个人英雄主义的历史和现实原因，以及个人英雄主义带给我们中国人的启示。

毕业论文关键词：美国电影；《碟中谍》系列；个人英雄主义

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Heroism 1

2.1 The Definition of Heroism 1

2.2 Types and Features of Heroism Movies 2

3. Mission Impossible Series 4

3.1 Synopsis of Mission Impossible Series 4

3.2 Heroism Reflected in Mission Impossible Series 5

4. Reasons for Americans’ Focus on Heroism 7

4.1 Puritanism 7

4.2 Westward Movement 7

4.3 American Dream 8

4.4 Sense of Crisis 9

5. Conclusion 9

Works Cited 11

1. Introduction 

When talking about heroism, we must refer to the United States. The United States is a country that worships heroism. American society advocates the spirit of independence and freedom, the value of people as the social members, encouraging inpiduals to rely on their ability to create a better life and benefit the society and the human beings. What Americans respect is inpidual struggle, winning in the merciless social competition, gaining a sense of security and accomplishment, and becoming the industry pioneer and leader. “Compared with other developed countries in Europe, the United States emphasizes much more on personal and business self-reliance, rather than relying on government and social security.” (Wu Qiong, 2011: 373) The history of the United States is one with the accumulation of numerous personal struggles. People came to the North America, with a strong desire to build homes and create a better life, but in the wild new land, people can only rely on their hands. So this kind of heroism originates from within, rather than from the gods. It’s the inner spirit of the free, democratic and anti-authoritarian people. 

In America, we can find that many literature works about heroism. 源'自:吹冰`!论~文'网www.chuibin.com For example, in The Old Man and Sea, Hemingway tells us a story of a lonely old Cuban fisherman, experiencing a relentless and agonizing battle with a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream. Besides the literature works, “movies are good presentation of heroism. The heroes in the movie are the most admirable models to modern people and they are praised highly. So we can see Hollywood repeatedly come down to superhero and put them onto the screen.” (Belton, 1994: 21) Mission Impossible series are one of the examples. The series abandon the endless gunfights, shells and fights. “This makes the ‘Brainy is the new sexy’ become a trend again.” (Belton, 1994: 33)