Fear

The inciting incident of the entire novel is Marcus’ father's sudden degradation into irrational fear. Through this transformation, the novel demonstrates the distinction between rational and irrational fear, illustrating irrational fear as unproductive and harmful. In narration, Marcus describes his father’s transformation thusly: “My father became frightened that I would die. Maybe his fear had something to do with the war…Maybe the fear had to do with his financial worries…Or maybe his fear for me began in fear for himself, for at the age of fifty…this sturdy little man began to develop a persistent racking cough (2-3). His father’s generalized fear appears to be a reaction to several specific sources of anxiety. However, the fear is irrational because it is focused almost entirely upon the wellbeing of Marcus, even though Marcus is well-behaved and studious. This fear therefore does nothing but...