Contribution to Book
May Keller: The Hero Who Defied All Odds
Heroes of Richmond: Four Centuries of Courage, Dignity, and Virtue
(2018)
Abstract
In this chapter, I will explore Keller’s heroic traits and examine what factors
specifically make her a Richmond hero. I will describe the stages of Keller’s
heroic journey and discuss Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, which includes
three major events: departure, initiation, and return. From there I will look at
how Keller exhibited the great eight heroic traits from Allison and Goethals’
(2011) list of eight qualities that every hero possesses. I will also discuss how
Keller’s leadership affected her social identity and why her gender had an
influence on her leadership as well. I will also describe the nature of Keller’s
heroic transformations. Keller experienced a personal transformation, which
ignited her passion and desire to defy all odds, and then later she sparked a
societal transformation at Westhampton College and in every woman who
received an education from Westhampton.
Keywords
- May Keller,
- University of Richmond hero
Disciplines
Publication Date
2018
Editor
Scott T. Allison
Publisher
Palsgrove
Citation Information
Aliya J Sultan. "May Keller: The Hero Who Defied All Odds" Heroes of Richmond: Four Centuries of Courage, Dignity, and Virtue (2018) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/scott_allison/63/