Examples Of Courage In Finding Forrester

Courage is a word that has many examples and has a well rounded definition. One may say it is the ability to face one's fear, although some may say it is just a trait the greatest heros carry in their “tool belt.” According to the dictionary it means “the ability to do something that frightens one,” or “strength in the face of pain or grief.” In the movie Finding Forrester the main characters Jamal Wallace and Will Forrester create an unlikely friendship after Jamal breaks into Will’s apartment, in which he leaves his backpack. Leading to Will discovering Jamal’s love of writing, which is the foundation of their friendship. They, like all, have their ups and downs, their joys and fears. These all come to light as their relationship blooms.

Forrester is a prime example of personal growth in courage. He is a man who is hiding from the world, as they think they know who William Forrester actually is. Instead of facing the legacy he created for himself the minute he publishes his book, he avoids life in general. According to Holden’s movie review (2000) “...he has been holed up every since in his Bronx apartment writing alleged masterpieces that he refuses to publish. Why? It has something to do with his paranoid fear of being critically misinterpreted,” (p. 2). In the presence of Jamal, Will learns more than he is willing to admit. Jamal pushes Will to leave his house so he can face the past just waiting to catch up to him, so he can move on with his life. The characteristic differences between the two main characters show throughout their journey together; thus, Jamal continually surprise Will. In fact their initial encounter was in a “less than par” circumstances. A review from Paul Clinton from CNN shares “On a dare, Jamal breaks into Forrester’s apartment but leaves behind a book bag full of his writings, only to find them later in Forrester’s Hallway, with correction and comments attached,” (2001, p. 2). This personal mistake of falling to peer pressure lead to a friendship that changed lives. They just need the push, the courage, to make it happen. Jamal lives in the Bronx, an unforgiving place for most. Yet, he still

Jamal has grown up without a father figure in his life, after he meets Will a reluctant bonds grows between them. It starts out purely as a creative outlet, then it turns into so much more without either of them realizing it. Will becomes a father figure to Jamal as they spend more time together so after their fight jamal decided to write a letter stating his true feelings to Will. In the beginning, Jamal finds his creative flow when he spends more time with Will in his apartment. In 2001, Movielocity published a movie review stating “Forrester’s apartment, full of dusty stacks of classic tomes and furious sound of a clicking typewriter, quickly becomes the place where the two writers meet, laugh, argue, learn, and dedicate themselves to the one thing that irrevocably binds them together - love for the written word,” (p.2). This apartment is described as a “writer's den,” covered in books, with the always hinting sound of a typewriter; however, there is an underlying message here, creativity is a messy process, there are mess ups and throw aways, draft one to final. The process is not clear cut and the beginning product is not what you originally had in mind, much like the unlikly friendship that develops between a bitter old man and a minority student. Jamal grows up to become a man Will can learn from. He proves he can when Will finally faces his past and walks into Crawford's classroom to address the issue