'Bravery In Ally Condie's Matched'

A Journey testing your Courage Courage does not mean one lives without fear, it means they use bravery to stand up to it. Ally Condie shows the development of courage against the fear of power in her novel, Matched. To begin, major characters display a growth of their courageous and rebellious manners. Additionally, the setting aids the development of those characters; while conflicts allow the progress of bravery to overpower society. In which all is supported through literary elements of character, setting and conflict to show greater development of the protagonists’ ability to show courage by challenging the power of society.
Characters have the important role of developing a story by creating relationships interpersonally. Cassia Reyes …show more content…
Nature and one particular hill have a huge impact on the growth of courage and power of society. Cassia is in the forest and climbs the hill, thinking of her grandfather while feeling her surroundings. She says to herself “There is a lightness to the trees ahead of me, and I know it is because there is sky and sun behind them instead of more forest. Look at me, Grandfather” (95). This shows the light and dark imagery, while briefly describing a major location in the story. The ‘lightness’ foreshadows the goodness and how special this hill will later be for Ky and Cassia when gaining strength, while the ‘darkness’ represents a place where the rebellion begins, against the society. Cassia also connects the forest to her grandfather, Cassia asks him for strength because she feels proud. The relationship between Cassia and Ky grow, while they spend their time in the forest and on the hill. The hill represents freedom and calmness. Which Cassia used to think, until she recognizes one day “It’s not quiet in this forest, crowded with vegetation and thick, muggy morning air wet against my skin. Bugs hum and birds sing” (95). Alongside the physical description of the forest, Cassia compares her daring relationship to the noise of this forest. She agrees it is not quiet, the same way the relationship Ky and Cassia share is not simple and friendly. It has deeper meaning, just …show more content…
By chance, Cassia begins to constantly encounter Ky, causing a relationship to form. After being paired to hike together, Ky begins to teach Cassia to write. Something that is completely against the laws of society. Ky starts to open up and tell Cassia his personal story, creating a special bond between the two. Cassia thinks to herself “There is a light in his eyes and I am the one who put it there” (215). She acknowledges the special relationship Ky and herself share. This is a major conflict because it is the beginning of many conflicts between other characters. The fact that Cassia thinks about Ky in such a manner is brave. However, the special bond they share is a major problem because it has many consequences. If both of them decide to confess their love, this will disorder future relationships with Xander. Unbelievably, this exactly becomes Ky and Cassias reality. Once again, they are on the hill and Cassia surprises Ky with a simple message, she writes on the ground “I love you” and then she thinks to herself “I feel undeniably brave and vulnerable as I stand there” (275). Ky confesses his love back. A problem arises because the society is unable to fix who, one another loves; hence, why they control the matches. Cassia straightforwardly confesses her braveness and even though Ky did not state it, he was extremely daring to spill