Reynie Muldoon Quotes

Have you ever thought that you weren’t enough, or doubted yourself? In the book The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, the main protagonist, Reynie, doubts himself throughout the book. The book is about 4 children. Reynie Muldoon, the cleverest and bravest, Sticky Washington, the smartest, Kate Wetherall, the most adventurous, and Constance Contraire, the stubbornest. These children pass tests that are strange and nearly impossible. They become the Mysterious Benedict Society. Evil is brewing through brainwaves and mind control, and The Mysterious Benedict Society are sent on a mission to stop it, and they are often faced with incredible challenges. Reynie doubts that he is brave many times throughout the book, and he often

When Reynie gives the suggestion to cheat to become messengers, his friends are shocked by this and begin to question him. “Still, Reynie was troubled by Kate’s question. Where was his powerful love of truth? His mind resisted the hidden messages . . . but maybe not as much as his friends’ did. How could he know? Hadn’t he been sorely tempted to cheat on Mr. Benedict’s tests, when Rhonda made the offer? Was he perhaps not quite the truth-loving, brave soul Mr. Benedict and everyone else thought him to be?”(225). In this part of the text, Reynie doubts himself. He states that people believe that he is brave, and suggests that he might not be as fearless as people think he is. He, again, doubts his courage because he believes that he is not as brave as others think he is. He is afraid to disappoint his team, and he believes that he is. Later on, Reynie is nervous to walk in the cafeteria because he is afraid of what he might see. “Reynie hesitated a long time at the cafeteria door. Then telling himself he must at least pretend to be brave, he went inside”(284). In the text, it states how he must pretend to be brave. If readers look deeper into it, they can see that this means that he does not think he is brave at the moment. If he has to pretend that he is brave, it must mean that he is not currently brave, at least in his viewpoint. These are the times where Reynie doubts himself in the middle of the

In the end, it seems like all is lost, and Reynie and his friends are facing endless challenges, both the battles of evil and their own internal battles. “Reynie was crumbling, on the brink of despair. Mr. Benedict had expected him to be a leader to his friends, to be smart enough to devise a plan, to be brave. But he was no kind of leader at all, he knew that now, certainly not brave, and Mr. Benedict felt very far away indeed”(367). In the text, when it says, “He was no kind of leader at all, he knew that know, certainly not brave,” it shows that he thinks that he isn’t brave. He completely doubts himself here, saying that he knows he isn’t brave. However, many people have explicitly stated otherwise. He has a great deal of self-doubt, and despite others telling him multiple times that he is brave, he chooses not to believe it. Reynie doubts himself to the point where others recognize it, too. “He held his breath until the message was completed. Remember the white knight. Reynie let out his breath. A long, slow release. He didn’t have to think very hard to know what Mr. Benedict meant by that. Though it seemed so long ago, he well remembered their conversation about the chess problem. The white knight had made a move, changed his mind, and started over. ‘And do you believe this was a good move?’ Mr. Benedict had asked. ‘No, sir,’ Reynie had answered. ‘Why, then, do you think he made it?’ And Reynie had replied,