Call it Courage

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1940

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapter 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 5 Summary: “Homeward”

Mafatu runs through the dark jungle to the plateau and the drums grow ever louder. Looking into the clearing of the sacred place, he sees fires and hears chanting. Black figures leap in the firelight holding spears and clubs. While Mafatu watches, he hears a nearby shout and sees four men running toward him. Mafatu sprints back to his camp, pursued by the cannibals, and launches his waiting canoe. The men swim after him for a while, and Mafatu hits one with a paddle when he gets close. The men soon turn back toward shore but continue their pursuit in canoes. Mafatu handles his canoe skillfully and prays to Maui that the wind continues in his favor. As the sun rises, Mafatu can see six black canoes pursuing him. The wind remains favorable throughout the day, and when night falls, Mafatu uses the constellation of Maui’s fishhook to guide him toward home.

By the next morning, his pursuers are gone, and Mafatu shifts his focus to making progress towards home. However, the current is against him, and he wonders if Moana could be preventing his return, or possibly Maui, warning him that he isn’t ready to go home. The days and nights pass monotonously. Mafatu sees nothing but the sea and sky, and his food and water supply slowly diminishes. The sun’s heat increases with each passing day, and Mafatu begins to lose hope that he will ever see Hikueru again.

One night, overwhelmed with despair, Mafatu realizes Maui has deserted him and left him at Moana’s mercy. He shouts to the sea that he no longer fears its power. Just as Mafatu’s strength is almost spent, he sees a glow on the horizon: the “lagoon fire” reflecting onto the sky (93). At that moment, Kivi appears overhead and flies toward the lagoon fire, and Mafatu knows Hikueru lies ahead. As Mafatu approaches the beach, a crowd gathers to see the fine canoe and the boy inside it with a boar’s tooth necklace and skillfully made spear. As Chief Tavana Nui steps forward, Mafatu cries, “My father…I have come home” (94). Tavana Nui’s face fills with joy and he announces his brave son’s return to the village. Mafatu falls as his strength fails, and his father catches him.

Chapter 5 Analysis

Sperry builds tension and excitement in the final chapter as Mafatu must flee from his cannibal pursuers. Figurative language creates a sense of urgency and mounting dread as Mafatu discovers the presence of the cannibals on the island. For example, onomatopoeia conveys the rhythmic thumping of the drums, and alliteration emphasizes Mafatu’s repeated strides and falls as runs away, “slipping, sliding, stumbling” (82). Sperry personifies the jungle to convey Mafatu’s terror, describing the trees as whispering to him and clutching at him. Mafatu’s returning fear at the sound of the drums shows the reader that although he has increased greatly in bravery, he is still human. Sperry suggests that a lack of fear does not define courage; rather, choosing to act in spite of fear is true courage.

As Mafatu finally loses his pursuers on the ocean, the drop in exciting action reflects the monotony Mafatu now faces as he makes slow progress towards home. Sperry captures the endless sameness of the seascape surrounding Mafatu, and the near delusions brought about by the unvaried days he spends in the canoe.

Mafatu’s belief in the supernatural and in Maui’s help has encouraged his bravery from his journey’s beginning. Here, Sperry continues to highlight Mafatu’s view of Maui and Moana as gods at odds with one another. While Mafatu gives Maui credit for triumphs and positive shifts in the environment, he blames Moana when the current is against him. As Mafatu flees the cannibals on the water, the wind symbolizes Maui’s presence. As long as the wind blows in Mafatu’s favor, Maui is with him. However, if the wind stops, Mafatu would feel that Maui had left him. Maui is also his guide, symbolized by the fishhook Mafatu uses to steer toward Hikueru. Signs that he attributes to Maui help him feel less alone and that the god of the fishermen is his ally against Moana.

Mafatu’s homecoming is everything he hoped for. Although the community does not recognize him at first, Mafatu’s father eventually recognizes his son and announces his return with pride. Mafatu finally lives up to his nickname, Stout Heart, and receives the acknowledgement he has been working for. However, the resolution is somewhat open ended. Is Mafatu’s collapse into his father’s arms a fainting spell from his lack of strength, or is he dead? The scene is unclear, leaving the ending up to the reader’s interpretation. Even so, Sperry makes it apparent that Mafatu’s story became a heroic legend among his people. Mafatu goes from being an outcast to being lionized for his bravery by future generations. The final paragraph echoes the novel’s beginning, highlighting the transformation Mafatu experiences and bringing the story full circle.