A Little Hero with That Protagonist?

The main character in Neal Stephenson’s epic dystopian cyberpunk fiction novel Snow Crash is Hiro Protagonist, a nerdy programmer/ pizza delivery guy from California. Without having completed the novel I am curious to see how the obvious implications of his name factor into the book’s plot. Besides identifying him as Japanese the name implies that this character is a heroic protagonist. To see exactly what the author may be saying by naming the main character this we need to define the different parts of his name. A hero is someone who despite adversity and struggle is able to show courage and determination for the greater good of a group or humanity. The Japanese name “Hiro” can be interpreted as generous, tolerant, or prosperous, all attributes of a heroic figure. Other than being a main character or prominent figure in a literary work or scenario a protagonist can also mean someone who is a champion or advocate for a cause or idea. Certain things come to mind when I read these definitions. First of all, does Hiro need to live up to a certain standard throughout the book because he has been labeled as someone who will display specific qualities and perform specific actions? I feel as though he does and he will. Hopefully Stephenson has not given away part of his story by naming the heroic protagonist Hiro Protagonist, but because of that I can understand the foreshadowing that it brings about. It is clear that at some time in the story Hiro Protagonist is going to have to act like a heroic protagonist or why give him the name in the first place. From what I read at the beginning of the novel Hiro has a long way to go before becoming the heroic protagonist of his namesake. Maybe, however, his name reflects what we all want to be, not necessarily what he is. We all want to be the center of attention and that is why we relate to stories of heroic figures on epic quests and adventures. That is how authors connect us to the text. Perhaps Stephenson is getting readers hooked because they see the potential in Hiro Protagonist of what they always wanted to be. And maybe even further, they are continuously intrigued because Hiro starts out like they are and becomes what they want to be. Regardless of what Hiro becomes I do hope the foreshadowing in his name is correct and he turns out to be one bad ass nerd hero.