The Labors of Hercules Beal

Twelve-year-old Hercules Beal’s narration reveals much about his character in the opening pages. His tone is both informal and intimate, occasionally addressing the reader directly. Furthermore, though his narration is peppered with humorous and sarcastic comments, his deep grief for his parents, whom he lost over a year ago, quickly becomes evident. His longing for his parents is embedded into his daily habits, as when he whispers “good morning” to his mom and his dad while watching the sun rise each morning. Hercules notes of the sunrise excursion, “That’s what I do every morning when it isn’t terrible out—and sometimes even when it is terrible out” (6). That this excursion has become a daily ritual regardless of the weather reveals its deep importance to the boy: It gives him strength to cope with the loss of his parents. Despite his grief, Hercules tries to make light of his brother forgetting to take him school shopping in his parents’ absence: “This year, I didn’t do any of that stuff. Mostly because Achilles probably just forgot. And I didn’t remind him. Which was fine. Really. Really, it was. Really” (22). Even though Hercules pretends not to care, the repetition of “really” indicates an effort to convince both himself and the reader of an untrue statement, suggesting that Hercules misses this back-to-school ritual. In fact, a school shopping trip would have instilled some normalcy in his life; though he claims not to miss such routines, his commitment to his own daily ritual reveals just the opposite. This establishes a pattern of Hercules not always saying what he thinks, something Viola picks up on later in the narrative.

The theme of The Significance of Setting on Personal Development is also established. Hercules loves living in Truro, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Beyond his daily sunrise walk to the Dune, Hercules spends much of his time outdoors. The beauty of the Truro landscape bolsters him. Despite his grief and unhappiness, he acknowledges, “Truro really is the most beautiful place on the planet” (6). In addition to its natural beauty, Truro is important to the Beal family’s history. After telling the story of Elias, Elene, and Elijah starting the family business and how they came to own and cultivate the land, Hercules adds that this is another reason “why [he] grew up on the most beautiful place on the planet” (28). This sentiment suggests that the physical beauty of the land is enhanced by his family’s history on it. Hercules feels an emotional connection to the place, which gives him strength and joy during a tough time.

Additionally, the theme of Community Impact on Individual Healing emerges in the first two chapters as adults acknowledge Hercules’s deep grief even as he struggles to verbally express it. When Hercules begins seventh grade at the Cape Cod Academy for Environmental Sciences, Mr. Farley, the custodian, knows Achilles from when the man worked at Truro Middle School. After asking about Hercules’s older brother, the man imparts some advice and wisdom, noting, “[Y]ou both lost a lot […] Give yourself a break. Both of you […] It’s going to be a good year” (24). Although it seems like common sense, Hercules needs to hear this pearl of wisdom right now, for he is hard on himself and his brother, who he assumes hates being with him after traveling the world. Hercules does not consider that his brother is grieving too, and Mr. Farley’s words are a reminder that it has been a tough year for both boys. This sentiment is reinforced later when Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer assigns the Classical Mythology Application Project. After informing Hercules of his modern-day 12 labors, he notes that it is a tough world and then leans down to whisper to the boy, “But I think you already know that” (44). This quiet acknowledgment of Hercules’s suffering is the first hint that the teacher is not as unfeeling as he seems. He will prove to be a character who shows tough love toward his students, and this message—intended for Hercules’s ears alone—conveys that the man is there to support the boy. Both Mr. Farley and Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer begin to show how a community can support someone through their grief.