As Brave As You

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2016

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 12-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Bravery and Masculinity

As Ernie and Genie come of age, they wrestle with the conceptions of bravery and manhood modeled by older generations. Part of the process of growing up is critically examining received values and ideals—and then either adopting them wholesale, modifying, or rejecting them. When Brooke was a young man in a Black community in the South during the Jim Crow era, he saw bravery as physical self-defense. He clings to this definition and insists that Ernie take part in the ritual of learning to shoot a gun.

The novel’s view of masculinity and bravery is complex because men in the Harris family are often motivated both by fear and by courage. As Genie matures, he must carefully observe the adults around him, decoding which emotion fuels which of their decisions. For example, after the shooting accident, Genie realizes that his grandfather is still uneasy about being outside, “And Grandpop was even tougher than Ernie. So if he was scared, anybody could be scared” (316). On the same note, when their grandmother talks to them about the accident, she says, “We all get a little scared sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with it. Nothing at all” (317). She goes on to discuss how her husband and each of her sons exhibit bravery despite fear: “Your grandpop, he’s a brave man […] He ain’t perfect, but he’s brave, livin’ his life trapped in the dark, getting’ on. Your daddy’s brave too, fightin’ fires, riskin’ his life to save other people […] And your uncle was brave too” (317-318). She shows the boys Wood’s Purple Heart medal, given to the family “to remind us that he was brave, even though he was scared” (318).

However, after the shooting accident, Genie and Ernie redefine the concept of courage. They no longer see bravery as only confined to physical actions—going to war, going into burning buildings, coping with a disability. After the entire ritual “didn’t feel right” (315), Ernie realizes he should have listened to his own instinct—sticking to one’s internal judgment is its own form of bravery. Deciding to opt out of the shooting no matter how he much pressure he felt to participate would have been the bravest thing to do. As the boys reconfigure the ideas of bravery and masculinity, Genie decides “He didn’t […] want to learn how to shoot anymore […] if he had to do that to become a man, get his teeth knocked out, then he was fine with being a kid forever” (323-324).

Guilt

Guilt manifests itself in various regrets that male Harris characters hold.

Genie, for example, experiences guilt over accidentally leaving his uncle Wood’s childhood toy out, which leads to it being broken. Later, he accidentally kills one of his grandfather’s birds. Finally and most importantly, he feels guilty about encouraging Ernie to learn to shoot a gun before the shooting accident. Afterwards, Genie tries to repair the damage he has caused through his mistakes: He scours the flea market for a replacement wheel for the truck, tries to trap a new bird for Brooke, and gets Ernie a good-luck tooth.

These schemes have varying degrees of success—the replacement wheel is satisfactory to his grandmother, and his brother doesn’t harbor any ill will, but he fails to capture a replacement bird. However, they all teach Genie the importance of honesty when it comes to admitting his mistakes rather than trying to hide or deny them. This message will resonate with the book’s middle-school-aged readers who may be facing similar dilemmas in their own lives. Guilt, Reynolds implies, is a normal part of the human experience—and the best way to deal with it is to take responsibility for one’s mistakes and to right one’s wrongs. Genie moves forward despite his mishaps, creating a storyline of healthy growth and a deepened understanding of the world.

Reynolds also explores adult guilt and strategies for resolving it. Presenting adults struggling with guilt normalizes the idea that adults are flawed, but nonetheless resilient and worthy, for the book’s audience. Guilt goes far back in the generations of Genie’s family. Brooke talks about his father’s intense guilt after turning in a friend who had stolen a puppy from their employer. The guilt contributed to his father’s suicide—a self-destructive way to end feelings of guilt. Coping more successfully is Brooke, who harbors guilt over his son Wood’s death in Desert Storm, blaming himself for encouraging Wood to go into the armed forces rather than follow his son’s own dream of becoming a firefighter. Trying to bury this guilt leads to Brooke’s coping mechanisms of clinging to his firearm, drinking, sequestering himself in the sunroom, and pushing Ernie to undertake the shooting ritual. By the end of the story, Brooke is ready to move on from his guilt after having repaired the situations as best he could. He has loosened his hold on these coping mechanisms, allowing his gun to be thrown away, repairing his relationship with his living son, and refusing the liquor Crab brings him.

The Effect of Marital Problems Upon Children

One of Genie’s foremost concerns as the book opens is his parents’ marital struggles. He worries about what would happen to him if they divorced: “whether he was going to have to choose which parent he wanted to live with, or if he and Ernie were going to have to split up too” (10). However, he also senses that the family’s unity and identity are at stake. Genie’s awareness of this problem characterizes him as an observant, sensitive child and makes the point that adult problems often emotionally affect children, who can be devastated by issues they can’t fully control. The book uses the couples’ marital issues as a way to explore setbacks and mistakes in a more complex, adult way that can help the middle-school-aged readers understand such issues in their own lives.

Genie’s grandparents are also an example of marital relationships—their conflicts are a proxy for those of Genie’s absent parents. The most striking example of this is when Genie’s grandmother recognizes that her husband is clinging unhealthily to firearms and throws his gun into the garbage. Brooke is upset at first, but when Genie sees them the next day, his grandparents have reconciled “[w]ell enough for them to hold hands. Well enough for them to say sorry” (365). Genie’s makes a connection between his grandparents and his own parents: “And he couldn’t help but think that if Grandpop and Grandma could do that after what had happened, then maybe, somehow, Ma and Dad could too” (365). The book’s ending implies that Genie’s parents will stay together just as his grandparents do, especially after Brooke and his son reconcile.