Bravery is an act of confronting pain and fear with courage. Human beings portray bravery when they courageously face challenges and threats in life without fear. Bravery manifests in different forms. Physical courage refers to the ability to face circumstances that might cause or risk physical bodily harm or death. Social courage refers to the dauntlessness in facing situations that can expose one to risks of social embarrassment and even rejection. Moral courage involves standing for what is right regardless of the shame, disapproval, or opposition that can arise. Intellectual bravery points to the ability to engage in challenging views, scrutinize one’s thinking, and risk committing mistakes. Emotional and spiritual daringness risks are encountering negative emotions and religious opposition respectively. The first story illustrating bravery is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Hollow of the Three Hills. Hawthorne uses the central character, a young beautiful lady, who tries to run away from her problems, to portray different degrees of indomitability. The second story illustrating the same theme is Janet Frame’s “The Bath.” The frame creates a picture of torture and torment that old age people pass through.
In Hawthorne’s story, The Hollow of the Three Hills, physical bravery is displayed by the main character. From the description of the meeting place, vivid imagery of a horrifying scene emerges. The main character met an “ancient, meanly-dressed woman, of ill-favored aspect.” As the old lady spoke, the lady was terrified and thought of running away. As Hawthorne describes ordeal, “the lady trembled and cast her eyes upward to the verge of the basin as if meditating to return with her purpose unaccomplished (Eldritchpress.org).” As Hawthorne further says, when the lady was ordered to kneel before the old woman, “she hesitated a moment, but the anxiety that had long been kindling burned fiercely up within her (Eldritchpress.org).” The main character also displays intellectual bravery. She made her mind seek help from a witch despite the consequence of losing her life. She chose death over her problems. As Hawthorne describes it, “when the old woman stirred the kneeling lady, she lifted not her head (Eldritchpress.org)” signifying the end. However, the main character lacks moral and social guts. From Hawthorne’s description, she deserted her parents, which probably contributed to their death, and broke her holiest vows as a wife leaving her husband lamenting. Worst of all, she showed no affection to her ill child and left her to die. During the child’s procession and burial, mourners were weeping and cursing the lady.
In Frame’s story The Bath, the ‘strength of a woman’ surfaces prominently. The widowed old woman beats all kinds of both internal and external challenges in her life to stand out as a courageous lady. From enduring physical pain, dizziness, and tiredness to external suffering of frost difficulty in walking, she is devoted to performing her duties. The pain in her back, aching arms and legs, and the battle in bathing could not stop her from making visits to the cemetery. Strong physical and intellectual strength manifests in the old woman’s actions. As Frame describes the situation, “getting in and out of a bath had become such an effort that it was not possible to bath neither every night nor even every week! (Johnston)” she prepares a bath herself, struggles to climb into the tub, and sits upright not daring to lean either forward or backward. After the tub, the old lady battles on her way out. She makes several attempts, but none succeeds. She feels a moment of loneliness, helplessness, and a terrifying situation. She tries to call for help, but none could hear her. She tries to imagine how her late husband could help her if he were alive. As Frame describes the situation, “she panicked and began to cry and striking the side of the bath… She stayed alternately struggling and resting until at last she succeeded (Johnston).” The woman portrays adequate emotional and moral bravery. After the visit to the cemetery, the lady yearns for “a place beside the graves.” However, on thinking of “her nephew who was coming with his wife and children, and her niece who was expecting her third baby, she rushes home.
The two stories portray bravery under different circumstances. Courage seems to be a major theme that drives actions in the two stories. The central character in Hawthorne’s story courageously takes her step of seeking a witch’s help even though she was to die. The old woman in Frame’s story defies all odds to execute her duties courageously. Despite the physical pain and her old age, she manages to meet her desires to celebrate her husband’s seventeenth anniversary.
In conclusion, bravery can be detected in individuals by observing their actions. Different types of courage can be expressed by persons. The young beautiful lady in Hawthorne’s story portrays physical and emotional bravery. However, she lacks social and moral courage. The old woman in the frame’s story is a true symbol of fortitude. She portrays physical and intellectual courage together with moral, social and emotional, and dauntlessness.
Works Cited
Eldritchpress.org., ‘The Hollow Of The Three Hills, By Nathaniel Hawthorne,1830, 1837’. N.p., 2015. Web.
Johnston, Christine. Dunedin. Auckland: Exisle Pub., 2003. Print.