When things get difficult people get scared. They tend to give up and stop, letting fear control them. In the book Nightjohn, by Gary Paulsen, John is faced with many fears. Throughout the story, John is teaching a young slave girl named Sarny how to read and write. As slaves, learning to read and write is considered illegal, which makes learning dangerous. However, instead of cowering under his fears, John stood tall and persevered. Not only did John teach reading and writing, he also taught that you should not let fear control your life.
When John arrived at the plantation, he had a goal to teach others to read and write. However, completing his goal meant facing the fears and horrors of slavery. But John was determined to teach anyways, fully aware of the free life he had given up.
“‘You ran and got away?” mammy asked.
“I did.”
“You ran until you were clean away?”
“I did.”
“And you came back?”
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“H’” (pg 78/79).
John is dedicated and it is that dedication that leads him forwards. He is dedicated because he has given up so much already for teaching that stopping seems impossible. It also would probably seem like a shame to only teach Sarny part of something and not finish. Furthermore, if he stopped, he would have been letting Waller win. By persevering, John was stating that fear was not stronger than perseverance and dedication.
Knowing Waller would now be watching him, John decided to run. He promised Sarny to continue teaching her, but she doubted he would return. If he escaped, he would be free. Why would he even try to come back to a place of torture? “Man gets out of here, I thought, gets clear again, he won’t never come be here again. Never coming back” (page 82). However, true to his word, John shows up one night.
“I heard a sound next to me in the dark and it was him.
John.
Be right there, next to me” (pg 85).
Once again, John does not let fear control his life. Instead he looks fear in the face and continues on his