44 pages • 1 hour read
Tom RinaldiThe Red Bandanna
Nonfiction | Book | AdultA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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How to Make a Hero
Much of the book examines the ingredients that make a hero. The first chapter might serve as a manual on the care and nurturing of heroes. It recounts how Welles Crowther grows up: a typical, red-blooded American boy in a typical family in a typical suburban town. He plays Pop Warner football, hockey, and lacrosse, does well in school, has lots of friends, teases his sisters, gets into mischief, and fights a bully or two. He goes on to college, continues his sports and social activities, and then joins the world of business.
What’s not typical about Welles’s life, however, is the extraordinary bond Welles has with his parents—especially the trusting relationship he shares with his father, who encourages Welles’s love for community and his eagerness to contribute and help others. And that love and eagerness don’t dissipate as Welles grows up—even after securing a job at a prestigious investment bank, he continues to dream about serving in the FDNY. So the text suggests that preparation is not enough to generate the will to step up and serve others. Rather, a hero must choose to be one.
In Welles’s case, he learned teamwork from engaging in sports, and the volunteer fire department showed him the importance of making a difference. As a fireman, Welles also learned to take risks, move toward a problem instead of away from it, and to rescue others in emergency situations. By the time of 9/11, Welles is trained and positioned perfectly to make that choice and perform the most important deed of his life.
How to Behave as a Hero
A well-prepared emergency responder can drop everything and in moments begin to tackle a crisis. He or she must be cool under pressure, think tactically, take charge, and guide others toward a satisfactory resolution.
One moment Welles is hard at work on a trading desk, and the next he is searching for an escape route and guiding people to safety. He is clear-headed, sensible, and dedicated to the safety of those around him. Without hesitation, Welles performs the tasks for which he is solidly prepared. Welles is in his element; it would be impossible to talk him out of his duty or prevent him from helping others.
The book demonstrates that Welles and other first responders know full well the risks of battling a crisis; yet their response is unblinking. That those who entered the World Trade Center to rescue others died themselves is indeed tragic, but these heroes are the type to line up for any chance to rescue others, no matter the cost. It is this resolute and unswerving devotion that captures the hearts and minds of people who hear Welles’s story.
How to Honor a Hero
The book also suggests that Welles was not one to crow about his achievements. If he’d been able to save people from the World Trade Center disaster and then quietly, anonymously walk away, he’d have done so without a second thought. But for those Welles left behind, recognizing his heroism is how they cope with tragedy and loss.
As it happens, after his death, Welles’s heroism is nearly lost to history. It takes hard detective work on the part of journalists, the FDNY, and his mother to piece together his final actions on that day. The clincher is his red bandanna, a symbol of his love and loyalty for his father and family; it also represents the hard work Welles performs for others over the many years he possesses the kerchief. It does its final duty as an impromptu air filter, helping Welles navigate the smoky ruins of the fire-ravaged floors where he finds and rescues a dozen people from certain death. It’s the bandanna, finally, that identifies him as that hero.
News media make much of the symbol, and sports teams begin wearing red bandannas to honor Welles. The red bandanna also becomes a symbol of charitable efforts to encourage more people to participate fully in their communities, make a difference to others, and practice the day-to-day goodness and good citizenship that contribute to a better world.
