There are a few ways that Idgie Threadgoode can be viewed as a hero.  Overall, Idgie is a good and decent human being; she takes care of those who are far less powerful than she is, like Smokey Phillips and Big George and Sipsey, even when they have nothing to offer her.  The person she loves the most, however, is Ruth.  When she finds out that Ruth is in an abusive relationship with her husband, Idgie very bravely goes out to the house and helps Ruth escape.  Later, when Ruth's husband, Frank Bennett, comes back looking for Ruth and their baby and is murdered by Sipsey, Idgie puts her own life on the line by helping cover up for Sipsey.  Overall, Idgie is a woman who loves with all of her heart, a woman who has intense loyalty, even in a dangerous situation. Through these examples, the reader and the other characters, mostly Evelyn Couch, begin to admire Idgie's bravery and heroism.