A hero is an individual who confronts his or her fears and does the right thing regardless of the consequences. It is also an individual who never quits trying to achieve his or her dreams no matter how many people In Eloise Jarvis McGraw's The Golden Goblet, the orphan Ranofer discovers how doing the right thing can affect the lives of others. Ranofer lives and works for his half-brother Gebu, who treats him as much like a slave as a relative. In the midst of Gebu's abuse, Ranofer comes to believe his half-brother is stealing gold from the goldsmith shop. A while later, searching for food, Ranofer finds a beautiful golden goblet in Gebu's room with hieroglyphics that read "Thutmose the Conqueror" (McGraw 24)! Despite it representing a risk to his life, Ranofer begins to spy on his brother and Wenamon. In a tomb, he discovers they are tomb raiders. They discover Ranofer in the tomb and give chase, but he flees in time to trap them in the tomb.
Ranofer dreams of being a great goldsmith like his father. He is abused, practically starved and made to work for nothing by his brother. He does not let any of this get him down or get in the way of his dreams. He wishes to be a student of Zau, a master goldsmith who tells him, "You must reshape your life into another form" (McGraw 39). We see Ranofer's appreciation for master gold work when he finds the goblet in Gebu's room. As we are told, "There in his hand lay a goblet more beautiful than the sun" (McGraw 78). After trapping his brother in the tomb, Ranofer flees to the queen to let her know that Gebu is a tomb raider. At first nobody believes Ranofer, but once his story is proven true the queen rewards him with the donkey he requests. This shows that Ranofer is a hero, because he does the right thing even though he risks his life to do it. Many people would be afraid to take such risks, even to do the right thing, which is what makes Ranofer heroic.
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