I'm not scared essay

“Fear motivates the actions and motivation of both the villagers and Michele.”

Fear appears to be amongst the plot for all concerned. We see both the adults of the Village and the young Michele suffer through the emotional distress of fear and struggle to come to conclusions. Whilst that said, it is Michele who shows courage and some level of capability in overcoming his fear to not forget human goodness. It is evident throughout the novel that fear motivates the actions of the villagers. Michele, on the other hand, is capable of strengthening his mind to overcome his fears, often relying on his hero, Tiger jack.

The idea of one being compassionate to another seems to be running in Michele’s blood. The young nine year old has the personality to make anyone seem important, no matter who that person might be. Michele displays compassion for the weak and vulnerable almost entirely lacking in those around him. Such quality begins to show in Michele right from the outset, the first instance being the race, stopping to look after his sister, despite his horror of the forfeit. Immediately after, he stands up for Barbara, the “fat one” in accepting the forfeit. Michele saves the girl from the embarrassment of undressing herself in front of all her friends. Michele’s level of compassion and sensitivity is so strong that he is willing to conquer his fear and risk getting caught by his dad to re-visit Filippo. He fears the dark, yet still has the will to ride past all the pigs to save Filippo, his friend he sees as his own brother. Michele thinks of tiger Jack, his childhood hero, to get him past the fear. “I’m Tiger, even better, I’m Tiger’s Italian son...” Michele preaches within himself while riding to his friend.

Conversely, the adults, are incapable of conquering their fears, and often resolve unwanted violence amongst them. The idea of adults being more matured than children is utterly mislead through this novel. The inability of the adults to make a decision - defeating their fears - , as simple as who was going to carry out an act, calls on Pino to play the ‘soldier’s draw” in order to come to a conclusion. The stereotype of adults is completely misunderstood through this narrative. It is the fears within themselves that calls on them to act so violently. Their fear within of the worse makes them want to act strong and in a violent manner, in the simplest attempt to frighten everyone around them. Their pathetic behaviour, portrayed through Felice, is a simple example of a man lonely, intimidated and scared of the people around him, which in turn, tempts him to act violently and bully all of whom are weaker that him. It is the fear of being different and their fear of being disliked that motivates the villagers of Aqua traverse into their actions.

Furthermore, Teresa, the mother of Michele and Maria, and the wife of Pino, is a classic example of a person, especially a female, under pressure and filled with fear to take any actions. Michele’s mother Teresa, as a typical housewife in Italy, is increasingly overwhelmed by the family’s precarious situation. Her role as a mother and wife living in those times, socialising with the people she lives around, marginalises her to some extent and she never questions her husband’s judgement or role in the kidnapping. She is, in a very real way, a victim of fear, the time and place as a female. We do not hear her speak out in protest and neither do we hear the voices of any other female character in the novel. Yet, Ammaniti emphasises her strength when Michele is threatened by Felice and angrily she screams, “You hit my son, you bastard”. Her anger fuels further potential violence as Felice “caught her by the ankle” and “threw himself on top of her with his whole body”. As a mother she illustrates how deeply a mother loves her child. Her feelings of powerlessness and fright for her children and her safety position her as a victim, knowing what her husband is doing. Her love for her children and the conscience of safety, prevent her from questioning her husband in his cruel acts. The anger and concern within her inner self, sees her as a typical housewife in the seventies, with strict husbands and with no right to speak out, she holds everything to herself, waiting to erupt. Eventually the pain becomes unbearable and we see her release it on to Michele. The issues within herself the feeling of intimidation as a female, affects her in a way that she feels everyone else is stronger than she is. The suffering within her has no path of escape, and the only individual she has more power over is her son and daughter, and we see her release her pressure onto her son in the backyard. Her fear of being weak, motivates her to act harshly to a less stronger person, and motivates her actions as a mother in the middle of a world, she has no place in.