Call it Courage

“There was only courage. A man who was afraid—what place had he in their midst? And the boy Mafatu—son of Tavana Nui, the Great Chief of Hikueru—always had been afraid.” 

Sperry establishes the main conflict and the novel’s great irony: Mafatu is known for his fear in a culture that worships courage. His identity as a coward conflicts with his culture. Mafatu’s problem is a relatable one: Many people struggle to feel a sense of belonging within a school, family, community, or culture. 

“The boy learned to turn these jibes aside, but his father’s silence shamed him.” 

Mafatu can bear the mockery of his stepbrothers but cannot stand to know his father is disappointed in him. Mafatu’s motivation for leaving the island stems from this shame. Even while Mafatu is away on his quest, he constantly thinks of his father and decides he will not return until he can make Tavana Nui proud. This relationship suggests the importance of mutual respect between father and son in Polynesian culture. 

“One of Kivi’s feet was smaller than the other. Perhaps because it was different from its kind, the older birds were heckling and pestering the fledgling. Something about that small bird trying to fight off its more powerful fellows touched the boy’s heart.” 

Sperry’s description of how Kivi and Mafatu came to be companions establishes a parallel between the boy and bird. Kivi is different from the other birds, as Mafatu is from other boys. Kivi’s foot disables him, just as fear disables Mafatu. Mafatu’s sympathy for Kivi comes from his personal experience; he knows what it is like not belong. Kivi overcomes his disability when he learns to fly. Similarly, Mafatu overcomes his fear when he lives independently. 

“Their fathers would say: ‘See what a fine fisherman is my son! He will be a Chief one of these days.’ Only Tavana Nui would be silent. His son had not gone.”

Mafatu imagines the reactions of the village fathers to their sons in comparison to his own father’s reaction to him. He is ashamed that he will not make his father proud. As Mafatu gains bravery throughout the novel, he imagines his father reacting with pride, rather than shame. 

“Mafatu stood quite still. Kana had spoken; he had voiced, once for all, the feeling of the tribe. Mafatu—Stout Heart—was a coward. He was the Boy Who Was Afraid.” 

Kana’s words cut particularly deep because he is the only village boy who has shown Mafatu kindness. This is a defining moment for Mafatu. He feels the shame of his reputation so keenly that he knows he can no longer stay in Hikueru. Although being called a coward hurts Mafatu, it is the catalyst he needs to face his fears and prove himself. 

“All around, as far as the eye could reach, were wastes of leaden water. The canoe was the moving center of a limitless circle of sea. The boy shuddered. His fingers gripped the paddle convulsively.” 

This quote demonstrates Sperry’s use of imagery to depict nature. He emphasizes the desolate seascape surrounding Mafatu, as well as Mafatu’s fear on the open ocean. Sperry uses imagery to give the reader insight into the experience of being alone on an endless expanse of ocean. 

“This world of the sea was ruled by Nature’s harsh law of survival.” 

When Mafatu sees a dolphin pursuing flying fish, it reminds him of nature’s harshness. One creature must kill another to survive, and Mafatu’s upbringing on Hikueru has taught him the price of survival. At this point in the novel, observations of nature mostly bring Mafatu fear. However, as he gains confidence, Mafatu gradually sees the beauty of nature and comes to respect it as an equal.  

“The brave thump of his dog’s tail touched Mafatu profoundly. He caught the animal to him, while a new assurance, a new strength, flooded his being. If Uri could have courage to die, surely he, Mafatu, could not do less!” 

Just as Mafatu gives up hope of ever reaching land, his faithful companion Uri inspires him with the courage to face death bravely. This quote highlights the friendship between Mafatu and his dog, and marks an important moment in Mafatu’s journey. Only after facing death as a likely possibility does he see land on the horizon. This experience lays a foundation for other acts of courage Mafatu performs later. 

“Kivi’s flight moved in exact parallel. Once more it seemed as if his albatross were leading him onward, just as he had led the canoe out of the passage of Hikueru.” 

Although Kivi comes and goes throughout the novel, his presence signals hope and guidance for Mafatu. Kivi led Mafatu out of the reef as he left Hikueru, and now guides him toward the distant volcanic island. Just as Kivi found his sense of belonging by learning to fly, so Mafatu finds his sense of belonging by breaking away from his home island. 

“‘Maui, God of the Fishermen, hear me!’ he pleaded. ‘I shall return home one day, I swear it. My father, Tavana Nui, will be filled with pride at my homecoming. It is a vow that I take now, O Maui. I have spoken.’ The wind from the sea swept up around him, its voice warm and soft and reassuring in his ear. Maui, God of the Fishermen, had heard and answered.” 

Mafatu’s vow to Maui contributes to Sperry’s motif of belief in the supernatural. It shows that Mafatu’s spiritual beliefs contribute to his coming-of-age process as he promises to conquer his fear and return only after he has changed. Mafatu’s vow also shows his desire to make his father proud. His quest is primarily motivated by his need for recognition in his relationship with his father. 

“He observed the barrier-reef that encircled the entire island. There were only two openings in the reef through which canoes might enter. One opening lay on the side of the island where Mafatu had been cast ashore; the other was here to the southwest, facing the distant Smoking Island.” 

Reefs feature as distinct characteristics of the novel’s setting, both here on the volcano island and on Mafatu’s home island of Hikueru. Sperry gives the reader a bird’s eye view of the reef from Mafatu’s perspective to show how the reef limits access to the island. On Hikueru, the reef forms the island, a phenomenon known as an atoll. Sperry’s description of the reef offers readers a lesson in geology that increases understanding of the novel’s setting. 

“But, most important of all, he knew that he had won a great victory over himself. He had forced himself to do something that he dreaded, something that took every ounce of his will. The taste of victory salted his lips.” 

After snatching the spearhead from the base of the evil idol, Mafatu recognizes that he has taken an important leap of bravery. Although acquiring the spearhead is wonderful, the true significance of his act lies in the confidence he has gained. Overcoming this challenge is one step on his way to transformation. 

“Mafatu lay there under his lean-to, relaxed in every nerve. He had fire, food, shelter. He had faced Moana, the Sea God. He had dared the sacred marae of the eaters-of-men to win his spear. There was a newfound confidence singing in his heart. He had found a new belief in himself.” 

Although he is alone and dependent on his skills for survival, Mafatu feels more at peace on the deserted island than he did at home. Because he has finally faced his fears, he no longer feels the shame that plagued him on Hikueru. Sperry suggests that peace is less dependent on circumstances than on one’s view of oneself. Since Mafatu can now take pride in himself, he has peace that transcends his circumstances. 

“The boy was beginning to realize that the hours he had spent fashioning utensils were to stand him now in good stead. Nets and knives and sharkline, implements and shell fishhooks—he knew how to make them all. How he had hated those tasks in Hikueru! He was quick and clever with his hands, and now he was grateful for the skill which was his.” 

Mafatu’s perspective changes once he leaves Hikueru. Tasks that used to fill him with shame now are necessary for survival. Consequently, he gains an appreciation for the chores he used to despise. This provides a valuable lesson: Perspective is everything. The work one performs grudgingly today may be one’s saving grace tomorrow. Mafatu’s realization also suggests that even when he did not go out fishing, he contributed necessary tools to his community.

“How could he go back to Hikueru without a boar’s tooth necklace? Why, that necklace was almost as important as a canoe! For by that token men would know his strength and courage.” 

The boar’s tooth necklace and canoe are trophies that Mafatu plans to bring home as symbols of his courage. Mafatu’s culture prizes these items, and only skillful and brave warriors possess them. At the novel’s end, the necklace and canoe communicate Mafatu’s transformation instantly to the villagers and to Mafatu’s father. 

“And Mafatu had come to rely upon the companionship of the little yellow dog. The boy talked with the animal as if he were another person, consulting with him, arguing, playing when there was time for play. They were very close, these two.”

This quote highlights the friendship between Mafatu and Uri. Although Mafatu has no human company, he is not alone. Uri was his faithful friend in Hikueru and remains loyal in the face of adversity. 

“He was all Polynesian now, charged with the ancient fierceness of his race. Victory coursed like fire through his veins. There was nothing he would not have dared! Nothing he feared! Aiá, but life was good!” 

The separation Mafatu has always felt from his culture and community is now gone. After killing the wild boar, Mafatu connects with his heritage through the courage that his culture prizes. This marks an important moment in Mafatu’s transformation. As he gains bravery, he also realizes his cultural identity. 

“How fantastic was that undersea world! The boy saw branching staghorn corals, as large as trees, through which jellyfishes floated like a film of fog. He saw shoals of tiny mullet, miniature arrowheads—the whole school scarcely larger than a child’s hand.”

Paddling out in his handmade canoe for the first time, Mafatu finally feels at home on the reef. Because his fear has subsided, he has changed and can now appreciate the ocean’s beauty. Sperry’s use of imagery highlights the splendor of nature, contributing to the novel’s juxtaposition of nature’s power and beauty. 

“Mysterious life forces were completing their cycle in those dark depths, even as on the earth and in the air above. This sea—no more to be feared than earth or air: only another element for man to conquer. And he, Mafatu, had killed the feké. Aué te aué!”

Mafatu sees that the law of survival is the same both on land and underwater. He finally feels just as comfortable on the water as on land, showing how far he has come since the novel’s beginning. Furthermore, Sperry’s use of Polynesian language contributes to his association of Mafatu’s island culture with acts of courage. 

“The jungle had never seemed so dark, so ominous with peril. The tormented roots of the mapé trees clutched at him. Lianas tripped him. Tree-ferns, ghostly in the half-light, rustled about him as he passed, their muted hush seeming to say: ‘Not yet, Mafatu, not yet.’

Mentions of specific plants native to Polynesia pepper the novel and contribute to its setting. Furthermore, Sperry’s use of figurative language, particularly personification, to describe the jungle hints at a life force held by nature. This contributes to Sperry’s depiction of nature’s power and shows that although Mafatu has proven his bravery, his fear remains beneath the surface. 

“If the wind deserted him it would mean that Maui had deserted him, too. But the savages would never get him! It would be Moana, the Sea God’s turn.” 

Sperry underscores Mafatu’s belief in the supernatural, showing that he views Moana and Maui as opposing forces. Maui is there to help Mafatu as he wills, and Moana needs only to wait for Maui to release his protection over Mafatu before claiming him. Although Mafatu fears the cannibals, he fears Moana more. 

“‘Maui,’ the boy whispered, ‘have you deserted me? Have you looked into my heart and found me wanting?’ And suddenly, like the snapping of a string, he was overwhelmed with despair. Maui had deserted him. It was Moana, the Sea God’s turn. The sea looked dark and cool and inviting. Little wavelets lapped and chuckled about the hull like beckoning hands. He looked overside. Deep down in those cool depths it seemed to him that he could see faces…his mother’s, perhaps….” 

Mafatu arrives at the brink of death and despair. He considers death as a welcome option and seems to be so malnourished and dehydrated that he hallucinates. Just when Mafatu thinks he can face anything bravely, he realizes he has one fear left to conquer: the fear of death. 

“‘Moana, you Sea God!’ he shouted violently. ‘You! You destroyed my mother. Always you have tried to destroy me. Fear of you has haunted my sleep. Fear of you turned my people against me. But now’—he choked; his hands gripped his throat to stop its hot burning—‘now I no longer fear you, Sea!’” 

Mafatu’s lowest point gives way to anger. Facing the threat of death at Moana’s hand, he chooses bravery once more, planning to die with dignity rather than fear. This moment completes his transformation. Now that he has released all fear, even at the point of death, he can return home.