Introduction 1.1Research background Jean Christopher created by the French writer Romain Rolland in his novel Jean Christopher is an immortal image in the literary world. He is a hero who boasts inspiring striving spirit and moral power and embodies the author#8217;s dreams and hope. The heroism reflected by Jean Christopher is profound and multi-faceted. His criticism of the old world and unswerving pursuit of dreams radiate with fresh ideas and consciousness, giving people a deeper understanding of life. As a common cultural phenomenon, heroism closely connects its generation and evolution with a certain historical and cultural background. Being two kinds of different culturals, the eastern and western worlds have their own interpretation of heroism, reflecting their own cultural traits. Jean Christopher is an epitome of western heroism, conforming to the mainstream ideology and values in the western world. 1.2Research purpose Heroism is an eternal theme of film and television works and literary works in the east and west. All these artistic works have created numerous famous and popular heroes. However, the characteristics and manifestation of heroism are different in eastern and western values. Based on Jean Christopher, this article aims to summarize traits and connotations of heroism in east and west respectively by comparing and analyzing the classic heroes in literature. Furthermore, the author of this essay tries to explore the reasons for differences in heroism in order to strengthen people#8217;s understanding of different cultures. 1.3Structure of the thesis This thesis is divided into five parts. The first part serves as a general introduction where research background, research purpose and structure of the thesis are included. Part two is a review of literature which explains the main content of Jean Christopher, heroism, the cross-cultural theory and previous researches at home and abroad concerning this topic. The third part is a cross-cultural analysis of heroism based on this novel which contains differences and similarities. Part four mainly deals with the reasons which cause the differences and similarities in the interpretation of heroism in the east and west. The last part is the conclusion part, which summarizes the major findings and provides suggestions for further studies. Literature Review This chapter consists of three sections. Section 2.1 summarizes the main content of the book Jean Christopher. Section 2.2 gives an overview of heroism and the cross-cultural theory . And section 2.3 focuses on previous researches at home and abroad. 2.1 Overview of Jean Christopher Jean Christopher, written by French writer Romain Rolland(1866-1944), was the winner of Noble Prize for Literature in 1915. Romain Rolland, a French thinker, critical realistic writer, music critic and social activist, has struggled unyieldingly for freedom and democracy throughout his whole life and thus he is regarded as a famous humanitarian writer in the first half of the 20th century. The most distinctive characteristic of his novels is summarized as ” writing novels with music”. The main character in this book is Jean Christopher who stuggled to pursue his musical dreams in a vulgar world despite all the obstacles. He was deeply influenced by his family and crazily loved music later. After experiencing the failure of love and career, he still didn#8217;t give up his dreams. He perseveringly criticized the hypocrisy of musicians at that time and insisted on his own artistic creation. In this novel, Jean Christopher was a civilian artist with firm determination to pursue art, civilization and progress, which gave him a spirit of rebellion and heroism. In his childhood, Jean Christopher was forced painfully by his father to study piano and music, but this process honed his will to cultivate on a regular basis his ability to adapt to the changing environment, overcome intractable difficulties and stick to his faith. However, Jean Christopher#8217;s social status made him feel that he was nobler than civilians, rooting a petty bourgeois sentiment in his heart. On one hand, he hoped that the capitalist system could bring further development to Europe. On the other hand, he still harbored illusions about the feudal ruling class. At the same time, he ignored and despised the demand of people, and was even tired of the struggle of people when he was in his old age. All of these features made Jean Christopher a paradox. In fact, he was the most authentic depiction of intellectuals with democratic ideas in social struggles. And the rebellion, vacillation and disillusionment in the depth of his heart were inevitable. To sum up, Romain Rolland has shown the pursuit, depression and comedown of the democratic intellectuals, and reflected bourgeois humanitarianism, idealism, heroism, and sense of the strong. 2.2 Overview of heroism and the cross-cultural theory 2.2.1 Heroism Heroes are promoters and builders of history, and heroism is an important part of national culture and spirit. Each step forward in world history is closely related to heroes and heroism(Liu Ting, 2018). Heroism is a value judgment at the ideological level gradually developed in the human society in the process from barbarism to civilization. It represents the most lofty and most perfect pursuit in a particular period of time. Heroism has distinct national characteristics, a strong sense of history, sense of the times and the power of personality. It is the highest form of the overall thinking of social groups during a period of time. Heroism is characterized by proactive, tenacious, and self-sacrificing spirits and behaviors that are demonstrated to accomplish missions of great significance. Heroism must be embodied in specific events and characters, but the core of its value can surely transcend history, time and space with eternal charm. Heroism has two different types: collective heroism and individual heroism(Li Jie, 2017). Collective heroism is the most distinct in Chinese culture. Compared with people in western countries, Chinese people have interpreted heroism in a totally different way since ancient times. It is the imperial authority but not the religion that has dominated the long-standing feudal system in China. As a result, the heroism, in Chinese people#8217;s opinion, has almost nothing to do with religions or mythology. The mainstream view on heroism is the loyalty to the country in Confucianism(Pan Tianqiang, 2007). To put it simply, the interests of the nation are far more important than the interests of the individual. Putting it first, the national justice is completely above personal feelings. This pure belief and the values are people#8217;s code of conduct. Therefore, the Chinese heroes are often closely related to the country and the masses. Individual heroism means that individuals exert their abilities, strengths and wisdom to reverse unfavorable conditions, overcome intractable obstacles, and finally benefit people, groups or even the country. Different from the Chinese culture which attaches great importance to group work or collaboration, the realization of personal values and the freedom of humanity are supreme and inviolable. Furthermore, individual heroism plays an important role in western cultures, which is firmly connected with the development of western culture and unique cultural attributes. Western culture is mainly based on commercial civilization that is extraverted in nature and emphasizes the exploration of the outside world. Therefore, the pioneer spirit in individual heroism is more appreciated in western cultures(Wang Junsheng, 2018). 2.2.2 The cross-cultural theories The author of this research mainly refers to the Cultural Onion Theory(Geert Hofstede, 1980). Regarding cultural differences, Hofstede suggests that culture is composed of different levels. Like onions, each layer is not independent and interacts with each other. When analyzing the cultural levels, he believes that the core part of culture is values, such as values and beliefs in people's minds. Although they are not perceived, they do exist in the mind and affect people's behaviors at any time. When people in different regions behave in certain ways, the role of values is to explain to us what the internal reason for doing this is, why they think so, and why this is done. As a person from a different cultural background, if you understand the intrinsic values behind the other's behaviors, you can understand the different way of behaving, and you can treat different ideas, behaviors, and beliefs in different cultures more appropriately (Wang Jingjing, 2017). According to Geert Hofstede(1980), culture is actually composed of four parts－－ symbols, heroes, rituals and values. The outermost layer is the ”symbols”, such as language, works of art, film, painting, food, clothing, architecture, etc. They, just like the skin of an onion, can be easily perceived and are the most intuitive expression of different cultures. The second layer is the heroes. Different heroes have different personalities. Now that a hero can be worshipped by people in a culture, their characteristics must have a certain representativeness, which represents features of this ethnic group. This is like the flesh of onion. The third layer is the rituals. Etiquette is a social norm, manifested in the unique expression of different cultures treating people and nature. For example, in a social group, what everyone will do under certain circumstances is reflected in the handshake, veneer, etc. In terms of behavior, lifestyle, and whether this behavior conforms to social norms, it is related to the norms common to the group. This, a collective activity that practices culture, can be compared with the taste of onions. The core layer is the values. Values are the deepest thing in the human mind and the core of a culture. For example, the innate rights of people, the relationship between people and others, the value of human existence, and so on. In this cultural onion model, values are at the heart of it, and involve the most ingrained and unquestionable things in the society. The three layers outside the cultural onion have an inseparable relationship with the core. The core layer drives the outer layers, and the outer layers affect the core layer. 2.3 Previous researches at home and abroad 2.3.1 Researches on heroism Previous studies have analyzed heroism in western and eastern countries in a detailed way. Western heroism is the representation of individualism. The essence of its transformation is the development process of personal pursuit for a safe and orderly social environment. Many western literature and films reflect heroism or the influence of individualism on heroism. It can be said that western heroism comes from individualism and paves the way for individualism(Ji Wen, 2015). Many scholars choose Jean Christopher as the research object, discuss in detail what this tragic hero has done in the book, analyze his quality, and thus extend to the heroism that westerners all agree with. Contrary to western heroism is the eastern heroism, typically the Chinese heroism. Collective heroism is the most distinct feature of the eastern heroism(Li Jie, 2017). Many studies have chosen to illustrate heroism in eastern countries with an oriental heroic film. Oriental heroism praises the heroic image of sacrificing self for the sake of national justice and the people. This is obviously different from western heroism. According to the Cultural Onion Theory, values are the most inner factor and the most fundamental cause of cultural conflicts. The difference in heroism is also due to differences in values. Studies in the past seldom make use of the cross-culture theory to analyze heroism. This research uses this book as a breakthrough to explore different heroism in a pioneering way and to study the deeper causes of this difference. 2.3.2 Researches on the cross-cultural theories Most of the existing studies start from two angles: the Values Orientation Theory(Kluckhohn Strodtbeck, 1961) and the Cultural Onion Theory(Geert Hofstede, 1980). The former one is ambitious, for the authors set themselves the task of developing a conceptual framework and a method of analysis which will enable the behavioral scientist to explain variations in value orientations (1) from one culture to another, (2) within a given culture, and (3) through time( W. G. Steglich, 1962). The latter one is commomly used to analyze cultural differences between different companies, regions or countries. When Geert Hofstede analyzed cultural levels, he believed that values are the core of a culture, and they may affect people#8217;s actions at any time(Geert Hofstede, 1980). The role of the value is to explain why people behave in a certain way and what people are thinking of. As people from different cultural backgrounds, they can better understand each other as long as they truly absorb the values behind(Wang Jingjing, 2017). Previous studies have elaborated on these two theories, including their definition and origin. However, they rarely combine specific research objects, and rarely compare two or even multiple cultures. In other words, previous researches are more likely to be pure theoretical analysis without adequate examples. Based on Jean Christopher, the author of this study strengthens the contrast between different cultures and uses the cross-culture theory as a tool to analyze its role in cross-cultural researches. Outline Abstract Introduction 1.1 Research background 1.2 Research purpose 1.3 Structure of the thesis Literature review 2.1 Overview of Jean Christopher 2.2 Overview of heroism and the cross-cultural theory 2.2.1 Studies on cross-culture theory 2.2.2 Studies on heroism 2.3 Previous researches at home and abroad 2.3.1 Researches on heroism 2.3.2 Researches on the cross-cultural theories A cross-cultural analysis of Heroism- Based on Jean Christopher 3.1 Differences 3.1.1 Imperfections and perfections 3.1.2 Individualism and collectivism 3.1.3 Viewing politics as a starting point and regarding politics as an ultimate aim 3.2 Similarities Conclusion Reference Reference [1] Allison, Scott. (2010). Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them. Virginia: Oxford University Press. [2] Fisher, David James.(2003). Romain Rolland and the Politics of the Intellectual Engagement. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. [3] Franco, Z. E., Blau, K., Zimbardo, P. G. (2011). 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