Fear is one of the most common feelings in humanity and how a person responds to it reveals the depth of his or her moral character. In novels like Everlost by Neal Shusterman and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling, the authors use fear to illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of their characters. The approach that characters like Allie, Harry, and Mary take toward their fears demonstrates to the reader what they value and their true nature.
Allie from Everlost portrays herself as a fearless girl with nerves of steel. She does not so much conquer fear as suppress it entirely. When she is captured by the McGill, she knows, “Monsters only had the power that you gave them,” (Shusterman) and she refuses to show how scared …show more content…
When he learns that Sirius Black is supposedly after him, he is more disappointed that he will not be allowed to visit Hogsmeade than the actual danger that he is in. Whether he’s facing a hippogriff or Voldemort, Harry always rushes to face it, to the point of brashness or even just outright arrogance. The dementors are really the only things that Harry seems genuinely afraid of. This, according to Professor Lupin, “Suggests that what you fear the most of all is---fear.” (Rowling, 155). Ever the Gryffindor, Harry is most scared of being paralyzed by fear. The dementors terrify him because he is powerless against them and he does not understand why he reacts so strongly to them. Harry values actions and fighting back. He cannot fight back when he is passed out on the floor. Unlike Allie he does not suppress that fear, he obviously feels fear and he just refuses to be controlled by it. He immediately tries to overcome it. He learns the Patronus charm and fights back. Even though he could easily leave it to other people, Harry chooses to learn how to fight his fear himself. His refusal to give into fear makes him admirable to the audience.
Another character in Everlost is the exact opposite of Harry. Mary’s fear of what comes next is so extreme that she not only does not face it, she denies others the choice of passing on themselves. She thinks herself justified, saying, “What was so wonderful at the end of the tunnel? How did …show more content…
Characters like Harry who not only fight, but conquer their fears are noble and heroic. Characters like Allie that repress their fear are more ambiguous and unnerving to the reader. Characters like Mary who are controlled by their fears try to control others through fear become antagonists. Characters facing the unknown and conquering their fears can progress and improve; otherwise they are
Allie from Everlost portrays herself as a fearless girl with nerves of steel. She does not so much conquer fear as suppress it entirely. When she is captured by the McGill, she knows, “Monsters only had the power that you gave them,” (Shusterman) and she refuses to show how scared …show more content…
When he learns that Sirius Black is supposedly after him, he is more disappointed that he will not be allowed to visit Hogsmeade than the actual danger that he is in. Whether he’s facing a hippogriff or Voldemort, Harry always rushes to face it, to the point of brashness or even just outright arrogance. The dementors are really the only things that Harry seems genuinely afraid of. This, according to Professor Lupin, “Suggests that what you fear the most of all is---fear.” (Rowling, 155). Ever the Gryffindor, Harry is most scared of being paralyzed by fear. The dementors terrify him because he is powerless against them and he does not understand why he reacts so strongly to them. Harry values actions and fighting back. He cannot fight back when he is passed out on the floor. Unlike Allie he does not suppress that fear, he obviously feels fear and he just refuses to be controlled by it. He immediately tries to overcome it. He learns the Patronus charm and fights back. Even though he could easily leave it to other people, Harry chooses to learn how to fight his fear himself. His refusal to give into fear makes him admirable to the audience.
Another character in Everlost is the exact opposite of Harry. Mary’s fear of what comes next is so extreme that she not only does not face it, she denies others the choice of passing on themselves. She thinks herself justified, saying, “What was so wonderful at the end of the tunnel? How did …show more content…
Characters like Harry who not only fight, but conquer their fears are noble and heroic. Characters like Allie that repress their fear are more ambiguous and unnerving to the reader. Characters like Mary who are controlled by their fears try to control others through fear become antagonists. Characters facing the unknown and conquering their fears can progress and improve; otherwise they are