The epic poem Beowulf, composed in 100 A.D., describes three battles of ancient hero Beowulf with monsters. More than 1500 years later, A. Foster's Pale Rider displayed another hero-The Preacher, who brought justice and peace back to innocent gold miners. Both of them dealt with heroes, who fight with monsters and dare to face death. Despite of these similarities, Beowulf and The Preacher, two heroes in different times and social environments, embody sharp differences in the way they fight, the provocation they rise to, and the motive of their heroic action.
             The way which Beowulf and The Preacher adopted to fight with monsters, even sharing sort of similarity, is quite different to defeat their rivals. When aware that the monster Grendel was not armed, Beowulf decided to "remove his iron breast-mail, took off the helmet and handed his attendant the patterned sword" (line 671-673). Beowulf made an impartial duel for Grendel by fighting himself and wrestling with his bare hands. Unlike Beowulf's unusual physical strength, endowed by nature, The Preacher in Pale Rider, thin and pale in his appearance, can fight smartly and shrewdly. When Club's bluff failed to make The Preacher to give up, Josh Lahood suggested Club to do something real. Prior to the giant's sledge touching its target, The Preacher "casually brought his weapon around and up lightly, to catch the giant square between his legs." (Foster 104). The brisk movement helps The Preacher to offset the physical strength deficiency and gave a lesson to Club and his boss. The next opponent that The Preacher had to face is Stockburn, a professional killer, with his six deputies. They insulted and cruelly killed old Conway. The Preacher praised Conway's courage, but did not choose one-to-seven game. He smartly shot the six deputies to create a fair condition for his fighting with Stockburn. Then The Preacher killed his enemy, face to face, ...