Fear In Niccolo Ammaniti's I M Not Scared

‘I’m not scared shows that there is nothing wrong with being scared – it’s doing what’s right that is important.’ Discuss.

In the novel, ‘I’m Not Scared’, by Niccolo Ammaniti portrays the importance of overcoming fears that stop us from reaching our moral maturity. The 9 year old protagonist, Michele Amitrano has his own fears of witches, ogres and the dark, contrasting the title of the novel. However, the adults of Acqua Traverse also conflict a sense of fear, but are more grown up and complex. Furthermore, Michele continues to look past his fears and demonstrates his commitment to maintain his sense of morality through helping others. Ammaniti investigates the value of following a moral code, despite one’s fears but to decide what is right and what is wrong - is more complicated through the eyes of an intelligent, but naïve child.

At the beginning of the novel, it is established that Michele is not terrified of anything; however there are numerous things which evoke the fear inside him. His dread of the figurative characters inside his head allows him to comprehend his general surroundings. The monsters that lived in his head as well as the ‘abandoned house’ mirrors the "monstrous" wrongdoing that has been committed by the grown-ups of Acqua Traverse. After the discovery of the ‘boy in the hole’ his fear of the ‘bogeymen’ becomes a reality after realising that his father has been

Michele, the protagonist of the novel experiences the horrific creatures inside the head of any other 9 year old boy but soon understands that there are worse fears than monsters. Ammaniti uses symbolism to explore the fears of Felice, Pino and Teresa; exposing them to a dark place of evil acts. However, Michele is the only individual that is able to retain his sense of selflessness to save others, even if it means to face his