“Wade Patrick Henry,” by Sarah Stilwell, was a fictional story about a hero turned bad. It was a powerful theme throughout the whole piece and it shattered the good image of a boy named Wade Patrick Henry. The narrator retells the tragic events leading up to the brother’s final decision.

The narrator is a high school girl that has graduated from her high school. She has a brother named Wade and everyone adores him. He is the narrator’s role model and her best friend. Wade aspires to go to a big city like New York or Chicago, but he is stuck in a small farm town in Iowa. After the narrator’s graduation day, she receives a gift: a ticket to New York City. Wade is shocked and he makes the fateful decision to steal the ticket and escape to New York. The narrator is surprised as she reflects on her hero’s betrayal of her own family and town. She leaves the household and she keeps running for the sake of herself.

The story is beautifully constructed and it has character, plot, and a moving conflict all in one short, succinct, story. The open-ended plot also added even more finesse to the great storyline. This story reminded me greatly of a quote from the movie, The Dark Knight.

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
— Harvey Dent