As Brave As You

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2016

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 12-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Brotherhood

Reynolds explores the intricacies of brotherhood through two sets of brothers: Genie and Ernie, and Genie’s father and Uncle Wood. Each of these pairs exemplifies protectiveness, loyalty, and common identity as well as the irritation and frustration that are often part of sibling relationships. Genie and Ernie, as adolescents, are still learning how to coexist peacefully, but Genie looks up to Ernie as an example of fearlessness, confidence, and loyalty. The boys learn from their grandfather that Wood also felt compelled to protect his younger brother from a school bully, just as Ernie uses his status as the older brother to protect and guide Genie. This is a powerful dynamic in the book because it leads to Ernie taking part in the shooting ritual even though he doesn’t want to—he mistakenly thinks that it’s the best way to model courage to his brother. Reynolds uses this motif to bring complexity and nuance to the family relationships in the book and to explore larger themes such as courage, loyalty, and family values.

Swallows

The barn swallow plays an important symbolic role in As Brave as You. Genie learns the traditional symbolic meaning of swallows when he researches the death of the bird he killed, “how swallows are supposed to be symbols of hope and life and should never be harmed, because they represent young people who have died, as well as brotherhood” (170). As noted in Important Quotes, when Genie first sees a barn swallow, he immediately notices that its coloring mirrors that of its rural surroundings, making it uniquely associated with his grandparents’ area.

The bird is also highly symbolic of Wood’s death, and its associations with brotherhood add another layer of meaning to its inclusion in the story. The fact that Brooke has caged swallows in his sunroom instead of letting them fly free indicates that his relationships with his sons are somehow dysfunctional at the beginning of the story. Genie’s attempts to capture a swallow also fail, further linking the birds to the concept of freedom. By the end of the story, Brooke expresses a willingness to let his other four birds go (410), implying that he has restored his relationships to their proper state—both by reconciling with his living son, and by being able to let go of his guilt over Wood’s death.

The Hill

Genie’s grandparents’ house perches on a hill. The higher ground literally separates Genie and Ernie from their old life—the hill “cuts off” the house from anything that might have been familiar to them, like other houses. When Genie’s parents drive down the hill when they return to New York, he feels as though they’re driving off the end of the world.

Descending the hill is a symbol of transition. For the boys, it’s the transition to adolescence: Tess, Ernie’s romantic interest lives at the bottom of the hill and they must traverse it to reach her. When they start down the hill to go see her, Genie falls, while Ernie “ha[s] better balance” (70) from his karate practice and stays upright—the elder Ernie is old enough to navigates the teenage world of dating. For Brooke, the hill marks a transition to old age—after going blind, he worries about falling down the hill and so refuses to leave the house altogether.