Call it Courage

The story’s beginning establishes its genre as a folktale. Sperry indicates that Mafatu’s story happened long ago, at a time when Polynesia was untouched by outsiders. He suggests the purity of this time before “traders” and “missionaries” came by stating that the Polynesians were still “great in numbers and fierce of heart” (7). This phrasing signals that those qualities changed when Europeans entered the landscape. Furthermore, the introduction shows that Mafatu’s tale has been told orally and in song from generation to generation, as a cultural folktale that has endured the passing of time.

Sperry establishes the novel’s geographical setting: Hikueru, an island in the South Pacific. Sperry describes Hikueru as an atoll—a ring-shaped island formed by coral. Indeed, the coral reef is a central feature of Mafatu’s home in the story, and functions as a barrier between the land and the open ocean.

In addition to describing the setting, Sperry provides cultural descriptions of Hikueru and establishes the overlap between nature and religion that characterizes Mafatu’s culture. Belief in the supernatural is a central part of Mafatu’s culture, shown by his fear of Moana, the sea god, as well as by Sperry’s mention of the tupapau, or ghost spirits, that dwell in babies. Sperry also uses the native language to designate the names of plants and fish, and mentions cultural rituals such as the rite of passage when teenage boys kill bonitos (tuna-like fish), giving the reader insight into traditional Polynesian ways of life.

The islanders’ central cultural value is courage, a characteristic that Sperry uses to establish the novel’s central conflict: How can Mafatu, the Boy Who Was Afraid, function in a culture that revolves around courage? If he fears the ocean, how will he survive on an island that demands interaction with the ocean? Sperry uses these ironic circumstances to show the reader the shame Mafatu faces. Nicknamed Stout Heart by his father, cowardly Mafatu seems like he will never live up to his name. The other islanders have high expectations for him as the chief’s son that he cannot live up to. His fear of the ocean directly opposes his purpose in life. Mafatu’s plight as a person who does not fit in with his family or community is familiar across cultures.

Sperry highlights the identity crisis Mafatu faces in order to start the action of the story. Although the mocking of his people bothers Mafatu, his father’s disappointment shames him the most. Mafatu’s moment of decision to leave the island arrives when he thinks about his father’s reaction compared to the other village fathers as all the boys except Mafatu return from fishing. He does not possess the foundational qualities necessary to function successfully within his culture, nor can he please his father, the man whose opinion matters most to him. When Kana pronounces Mafatu a coward, Mafatu acts on his existing worries about his father, and makes up his mind to change.