Heroic failure

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Heroic failure describes a person or group failing to accomplish their goal, but somehow gaining the moral upper hand or becoming ennobled in the attempt.

A famous case in Classical Antiquity is King Leonidas of Sparta in the battle of Thermopylae, where Leonidas and his men were defeated and killed, but still remain an enduring model of heroism.

The film Casablanca mentions two heroic failures to develop the Humphrey Bogart character Rick Blaine.

Captain Louis Renault: Oh, laugh if you will, but I happen to know your record. Let me point out just two items. In 1935 you ran guns to Ethiopia. In 1936, you fought in Spain on the Loyalist side.^[1]

The first reference is to the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. In September 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia. Ethiopia lost, but opponents of colonialism and fascism supported their cause. The second reference describes the Spanish Civil War in which rebels led by Francisco Franco gained control of the country. "The Loyalist side" refers to supporters of the losing republic. Thus Rick has fought for the causes of freedom and democracy and earned an admirable (although losing) record.

Similarly, while the Nationalist Chinese lost Shanghai (and many of their best troops) to the Japanese in the Battle of Shanghai, the heroic stand by the Chinese showed the world (and the rest of China) that Chiang-Kai-shek's government was making a strong stand against Imperial Japan. Despite being a serious defeat, the Battle of Shanghai was a high mark for Chinese nationalism.

Though the Confederate forces of Robert E. Lee lost the Civil War, much of the Southern United States still widely regards Lee as an icon of Southern heroism and gallantry. (Much of the Northern United States regards the establishment and defence of the Confederacy as primarily a defence of slavery, leading to a rather dimmer view of the Confederate army.)

A similar term, "successful failure", was used to describe the fate of Apollo 13, a mission that failed to land on the Moon due to an equipment failure, and yet resulted in the survival and successful return of the astronauts involved despite difficult circumstances. The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in the early 20th century was another such example; having set out to cross Antarctica on foot, their ship became stuck in Antarctic ice for 22 months. Due to the heroism of expedition leader Ernest Shackleton and five crew members, who sailed 1500km in a small boat in search of help, not a single life was lost.

Heroic failures may be celebrated in a humorous light and some cultures have a wry respect for those who persevere at a task despite their lack of skill. Examples of this category include:

The Book of Heroic Failures by Stephen Pile is dedicated to this lighter side of the subject.