Is Revenge And Forgiveness In Elizabeth George Speare's The Bronze Bow

The Bronze Bow, a book written by Elizabeth George Speare, tells of Daniel’s struggle between revenge and forgiveness. Daniel despises all Romans because of his father’s crucifixion, which also lead to his mother’s death. Daniel’s sister, Leah, was traumatized after witnessing her father’s crucifixion. Daniel thinks she won’t leave her home because of demons. Daniel, seeing an old friend named Joel and his sister, Malthace or “Thacia”, talks to them about Leah and Daniel’s grandmother. Due to monetary constraints, Daniel’s grandmother sold him into apprenticeship to a blacksmith named Amalek. Amalek was a harsh teacher, so Daniel ran away and joined an anti-Roman guerrilla group in the mountains by his hometown of Ketzah, lead by a man named Rosh. With Joel watching, Rosh and the militia take a big black mute slave named Samson, who grows to like Daniel. Weeks later, Daniel leaves Joktan, a friend from his rebellious group, in charge of Samson and visits Leah and his grandmother after receiving word that Amalek died. After seeing that not much has changed, his old friend, Simon, brings him to see a preacher whom he follows: Jesus. Once Daniel is done listening to Jesus’ preaching, he returns to see Joel and Thacia again. Not long after Daniel, Joel, Thacia, and Thacia and Joel’s father eat, Daniel throws water in the face …show more content…
Because of all his grief and anger, Daniel visits Jesus and asks about his pact, and what he should do to avenge Samson and Nathan. Jesus says the pact was of love, not of hate, and that he shouldn’t feel guilty for what the Romans did to Samson and Nathan. When he returns to Leah, she is very ill and dying. He sends Joktan to get Thacia. Marcus, a Roman soldier who Leah has grown accustomed to, want to see Leah because she is dying. Days after Daniel sent for Thacia, she appears with Jesus. Jesus heals Leah, and Daniel, accepting that Marcus is a kind Roman, allows him to see