Call it Courage

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1940

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Coexisting Power and Beauty of Nature

Throughout Mafatu’s quest, his many survival skills keep him alive, yet he is ultimately at nature’s mercy. Although he is an expert sailor and knows how to use the available natural resources to make everything he needs—food, tools, shelter, and a canoe—his survival depends on elements that lie outside of his control. Similarly, Mafatu’s mother was skillful in her handling of a canoe, but her skill was no match for the ocean’s power, which carried her canoe beyond the reef. Through these examples of human vulnerability, Sperry shows the immense power of nature. Even humans who have years of experience surviving in nature are no match for nature’s full strength.

Mafatu recognizes his helplessness in nature at a young age, which makes him particularly fearful. Sperry uses vivid descriptions of the sounds of the sea, such as “thunder,” “crash,” “mutter,” and “screaming” (8-9), to reflect Mafatu’s fear of the ocean. Sperry also personifies the ocean, calling the waves “the sea’s hungry fingers” (10). His use of figurative language to depict the ocean emphasizes Mafatu’s recognition of the ocean’s power. Mafatu’s acknowledgment of nature’s mercilessness motivates him to search for supernatural help. He believes the ocean’s power stems from Moana, the god of the sea, and that as a human, he cannot face Moana alone. Consequently, he cries out to Maui for aid on several occasions. Mafatu’s dependence on the supernatural underscores the powerlessness of humanity in nature.

However, as Mafatu gains confidence and transforms, he begins to see a different side of nature: its beauty. When paddling on the reef after killing the shark and wild boar, Mafatu feels at peace with nature and at home on the sea. He looks down into the water with new eyes, recognizing the beautiful array of fish and plant life on the reef. Simultaneously, he sees the mystery of the reef’s shadowy caverns. As he paddles back to shore after killing the octopus, he sees a cloud of blood as a shark eats a fish and realizes that the life cycles present on land and in the sky are also at work in the ocean.

Through Mafatu’s change and moments of realization, Sperry highlights the paradox of nature’s “harsh law of survival” (23) alongside its unmatched beauty. His novel, and Mafatu’s growth, suggest that balance is the ideal goal: Although the unbridled power of nature remains a constant threat, people can survive and even thrive in nature, and should not live in fear. Humans can appreciate nature’s bounty and beauty and should live with a healthy respect for an environment that can never be truly conquered.

The Significance of Self-Confidence

Sperry uses the novel’s central conflict to convey a common human experience: feeling like one does not fit in. Mafatu’s cowardice directly opposes his culture’s values and his birthright as the chief’s son. Mafatu’s fear keeps him from feeling a sense of belonging within his community, from befriending other members of the village, and from taking part in daily activities such as fishing on the reef. Even when invited to fish for bonitos as a rite of passage with the other village boys, Mafatu does not have enough faith in himself to participate, and believes the other boys are better than he is. He feels constant unrest and shame, especially because he knows he disappoints his father. Mafatu’s nickname, Stout Heart, continually reminds him that he falls short of his father’s expectations.

Though he fears his father’s disappointment, Mafatu’s struggle is less about proving himself to others and more about proving himself in his own eyes. Mafatu’s lack of self-confidence keeps him from responding to Kana’s kindness. In contrast, his growth in self-confidence after leaving Hikueru ultimately changes him. All the brave acts Mafatu completes, such as killing the boar, are external symbols of his internal change. His courageous successes are not important simply in and of themselves; most important is his mindset. With each choice to face his fear, Mafatu sheds the shame he once felt and gains internal peace.

Sperry’s theme appeals to any reader who has experienced being left out, excluded, or different from a family or cultural norm. For Mafatu, it takes leaving his home for him to face his fear and gain confidence. However, the power to change is with him all along. Sperry shows that finding a sense of belonging comes from making peace with oneself. Even after all his courageous acts, Mafatu still feels fear as he sails home to Hikueru. Though his fear never leaves him, his belief in himself grows exponentially and balances out the fear. Through Mafatu’s transformation, Sperry makes the case that one need not change one’s identity to fit in. Rather, one must make peace with oneself to find a sense of belonging.

An Education in Polynesian Culture

Sperry includes meaningful descriptions of Mafatu’s culture to educate his anticipated readers, American children in the 1940s, on what may have been an unfamiliar part of the world to them. From the beginning, Sperry establishes the significance of courage in early Polynesian culture. He indicates that the people of Hikueru have an oral tradition of storytelling and describes Mafatu’s story as one that is relayed over evening fires. Furthermore, as Mafatu leaves Hikueru, he hears the Old Ones singing of voyages and heroes in the himené house, a detail that reinforces the cultural traditions of storytelling and esteem for courage. The novel’s ending lines echo its beginning, reminding readers that Mafatu’s quest is now a folktale that the people of Hikueru continue to recount.

Sperry shows that nature and religion are interconnected in Polynesian culture and educates the reader on the landscape by providing names and descriptions of natural features. Religion is a significant part of Polynesian culture, particularly gods of nature, such as Moana and Maui. Sperry reflects these values, depicting Moana, the sea god, as dangerous, with a “dark heart” (9), and Maui, god of fishermen, as a helper for humans. The Polynesian gods of nature correlate with the people’s reliance on the land and sea, a lifestyle in which nature can make or break the community’s survival. To underscore the significance of nature in Mafatu’s culture, Sperry highlights plants and features of the land that are specific to Polynesia, such as mapé trees (Tahitian or Polynesian chestnut) and the coral reef that surrounds both the volcano island and Mafatu’s home island.

Finally, Sperry’s descriptions of the tasks required for survival on an island depict the way of life of the ancient South Pacific people. Survival requires every member of the community to pitch in. Essential activities, such as starting a fire, take significant time and energy, and Sperry explains that young people are responsible for keeping the fire fed in Hikueru. Furthermore, Mafatu’s role is to work on making nets and fishing gear, tasks that require much time and knowledge. Sperry depicts other survival skills vital in ancient Polynesia, such as making a fish trap from bamboo, shaping a canoe from a tamanu tree, and cooking wild pig using hot stones to make a natural oven. Although Mafatu is alone on the volcanic island, he already has necessary survival skills and knowledge of the environment. Through Mafatu’s story, Sperry teaches the reader about Polynesia—its land and seascape, its people, and their way of life.