How influential can parents' believes be on their child?
How does compassion influence bravery?
Why, or why aren't, first impressions a good indicator of a person's personality?
How is integrity beneficial?
Why, or why isn't, honesty 'the best policy?'
Why do some people place a high value on social acceptance?
Bethany 1
Mr. Connolly
ENG2D
17 December 2012
Compassion's Effect on Bravery
Compassion can make even the most cowardly of men brave. Maurice Gee's Salt and James
Howe's The Watcher both contain characters whose bravery is strengthened through compassion.
They encounter situations where, if they do not succeed in them, they or a loved one will get hurt. In
each situation, it is the presence of compassion that motivates the characters to face their fears.
Therefore, compassion influences bravery.
Howe's The Watcher both contain characters whose bravery is strengthened through compassion.
They encounter situations where, if they do not succeed in them, they or a loved one will get hurt. In
each situation, it is the presence of compassion that motivates the characters to face their fears.
Therefore, compassion influences bravery.
In Salt, the main characters, Pearl and Hari, place themselves in danger to help people that they
have compassion for. For instance, Hari's father was captured and then taken to Deep Salt, a hill that
is mined for deadly grains along with being surrounded by flesh eating rats. Despite his fear of Deep
Salt, Hari sets out on a quest to rescue his father, Tarl, from it. On his journey there, Hari is told by
his guide to Deep Salt that he doesn't have to enter it as he will rescue his father for him. Hari
responds by saying, "No, I'm coming. I told Tarl I would. He's my father" (Gee 144). After being
informed that he could get the sickness from the grains Hari then says, "Then I'll get it. Come on,
let's go" (Gee 144). Here, Hari is putting his life on the line to save his father when his efforts aren't
required. It is his compassion for his father that makes his bravery more powerful. Similarly, Pearl
also faces dangers for someone that she cares for. Towards the end of the book, she wishes to enter
the burrows , a place where the citizens resent her because of her origins, in order to provide help to
Hari should he need it. Hari is quick to tell her that doing so could get her killed. But, Pearl
is determined to stay by his side. She tells him, "You might need me." (Gee 229) Again, this is a
case of bravery being influenced by compassion. Pearl is risking her life in order to help
Hari, someone that she loves, when doing so won't personally benefit her. All in all, in Salt,
compassion is the main reason why characters are brave enough to place themselves in danger.
Characters in The Watcher also became braver when compassion motivates them. Throughout the
book, Margret, one of the main characters, struggles under her father's abuse. With a mother who
prefers to remain oblivious to her father's actions, Margret is too scared to get help for herself.
Towards the end of the book, Margret is presented with a chance to confess to being abused but,
once again, finds herself lacking the bravery to do so. In order to gain bravery, Margret exaggerates
an embrace she is in: "She closed her eyes and imagined them filling the room, those wings,
those white powdery wings, powerful and soft and there to hold her whenever she needed them, as
she needed them now to hold her, now as she opened her eyes and parted her lips and set free the
truth. "My father,' she said, "hurts me"" (Howe 172). Here, Margret reveals that, in order to talk
about her abuse, she needs to be held. Thus, she needs a physical demonstration of compassion (as
exaggerated as it may be) to influence her bravery and give her the courage to speak about her abuse.
In contrast, Evan, another main character, risks his well being for his mother and sister. In the book
Evan is scared to confront Shane, a person who he believes stole some of his mother's and sister's
possessions. Well on his way to confront Shane, Evan's bravery wavers: "He almost turned back.
But then he thought of Callie [his sister]. And his mother. And he decided no matter how it turned
out, he had to confront Shane" (Howe 152). As shown, it is Evan's loving thoughts of his mother and
sister that strengthen his bravery enough to make him decide that he will seek Shane. His
compassion for them is so great that it gives him the confidence to do so. The Watcher's characters
become braver as a result of their compassion.
Compassion influences bravery. It causes people to do things that they normally wouldn't possess
the courage for. Characters in Salt and The Watcher faced their fears with compassion as their aid or
driving force. Unfortunately, greed can be have just as much influence on human behaviour.
have compassion for. For instance, Hari's father was captured and then taken to Deep Salt, a hill that
is mined for deadly grains along with being surrounded by flesh eating rats. Despite his fear of Deep
Salt, Hari sets out on a quest to rescue his father, Tarl, from it. On his journey there, Hari is told by
his guide to Deep Salt that he doesn't have to enter it as he will rescue his father for him. Hari
responds by saying, "No, I'm coming. I told Tarl I would. He's my father" (Gee 144). After being
informed that he could get the sickness from the grains Hari then says, "Then I'll get it. Come on,
let's go" (Gee 144). Here, Hari is putting his life on the line to save his father when his efforts aren't
required. It is his compassion for his father that makes his bravery more powerful. Similarly, Pearl
also faces dangers for someone that she cares for. Towards the end of the book, she wishes to enter
the burrows , a place where the citizens resent her because of her origins, in order to provide help to
Hari should he need it. Hari is quick to tell her that doing so could get her killed. But, Pearl
is determined to stay by his side. She tells him, "You might need me." (Gee 229) Again, this is a
case of bravery being influenced by compassion. Pearl is risking her life in order to help
Hari, someone that she loves, when doing so won't personally benefit her. All in all, in Salt,
compassion is the main reason why characters are brave enough to place themselves in danger.
Characters in The Watcher also became braver when compassion motivates them. Throughout the
book, Margret, one of the main characters, struggles under her father's abuse. With a mother who
prefers to remain oblivious to her father's actions, Margret is too scared to get help for herself.
Towards the end of the book, Margret is presented with a chance to confess to being abused but,
once again, finds herself lacking the bravery to do so. In order to gain bravery, Margret exaggerates
an embrace she is in: "She closed her eyes and imagined them filling the room, those wings,
those white powdery wings, powerful and soft and there to hold her whenever she needed them, as
she needed them now to hold her, now as she opened her eyes and parted her lips and set free the
truth. "My father,' she said, "hurts me"" (Howe 172). Here, Margret reveals that, in order to talk
about her abuse, she needs to be held. Thus, she needs a physical demonstration of compassion (as
exaggerated as it may be) to influence her bravery and give her the courage to speak about her abuse.
In contrast, Evan, another main character, risks his well being for his mother and sister. In the book
Evan is scared to confront Shane, a person who he believes stole some of his mother's and sister's
possessions. Well on his way to confront Shane, Evan's bravery wavers: "He almost turned back.
But then he thought of Callie [his sister]. And his mother. And he decided no matter how it turned
out, he had to confront Shane" (Howe 152). As shown, it is Evan's loving thoughts of his mother and
sister that strengthen his bravery enough to make him decide that he will seek Shane. His
compassion for them is so great that it gives him the confidence to do so. The Watcher's characters
become braver as a result of their compassion.
Compassion influences bravery. It causes people to do things that they normally wouldn't possess
the courage for. Characters in Salt and The Watcher faced their fears with compassion as their aid or
driving force. Unfortunately, greed can be have just as much influence on human behaviour.
Work Cited
Gee, Maurice. Salt. Canada: Orca, 2007. Print.
Howe, James. The Watcher. New York: Simon Pulse, 1997. Print.
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