Call It Courage

Mafatu, the ten-year-old son of a Polynesian chieftan, has always feared the sea because in his toddlerhood he and his mother were swept away by a storm in which his mother lost her life. As he approaches the edge of manhood, his fear prevents him from winning a place in his community. Realizing their indifference to him, he sets out to sea alone in his canoe, taking only his dog and a few tools. That night he is caught in a storm, in which he loses his paddle and all his tools, and he washes up on an island where cannibals are known to live. He builds a shelter and canoe and chooses to survive; while living there he kills an octopus, a boar, and a shark, and faces the human terror of ritualistic cannibals, barely escaping with his life. At the end of his journey he returns to his village having proved himself a man.

The story is set in a mythical Polynesia, but is written in a European voice: at one point the author describes a canoe caught in a current "like a millrace," a term which is decidedly foreign to this island culture. The great weakness of this book is that the tribal societies which provide a backdrop for the story are caricatured: The tribal fishermen represent noble savages, living so close to nature that they become "ill at ease, charged... with an almost animal awareness of impending storm" (3). Conversely, the cannibal tribe represent a class of wordless, brutal primitives -- dancing with oiled bodies, beating drums around fires and stone idols, wailing, and shouting with guttural voices. Mafatu appeals throughout the story to Maui, "god of the Fishermen," and repeatedly challenges his nemesis Moana, the Sea God. Sperry's Maui, however, hardly resembles the Polynesian trickster named Maui, and the Moana of the story is only a personification of the sea (In some of the languages "moana" does mean sea or ocean.)

No one having read this book should believe they have learned anything about the real Polynesia -- it is no more a story about Polynesia than Little Red Riding Hood is about the European forest. Notwithstanding this, if a reader can accept that Call it Courage is a lesson not in history but in moral courage, they may benefit from the moral example this hero represents. Although Mafatu is limited by his youth and inexperience, he faces great dangers and survives, facing down one fear after another. By making critical choices under pressure, and by refusing to succumb to the elemental, animal, spiritual and human forces arrayed against him, he finally wins his victory. This coming of age is an accomplishment any young boy can aspire to.

The biggest shortcoming of this book is that it is too short. It glosses over long periods of time and so many of the things that Mafatu did that it leaves questions and holes in the story.

The author does use the word "blacks" in a negative way, but "eaters-of-men" is not derogatory - there truly are/were cannibals on some Pacific islands.

The ending is well done, leaving the reader unsure of Mafatu and Uri's survival.

Armstrong Sperry's story of Mafatu, who is afraid of the ocean, does come alive with great and detailed descriptions about life in Polynesian islands which includes life, environment, and religion. The book is somewhat slow at times. The book is decent for young readers including struggling readers. Sperry's writing is clear and the story of Mafatu who tries to prove his courage despite his fear of the water. The book is satisfactory for me.

I just stumbled upon this book and I was absolutely blown away as I had never heard of this book before. I even got my father to read it and he loved it. This is a book for all ages and something for everyone to love and appreciate.

Like the majority of other reviewers, I was struck by the excitement and adventure of this story. While the exotic setting surely plays its part in drawing the reader deeper into the tale, it is also the underdog nature of the story's main character, Mafatu (Stout Heart). The reader will surely identify with the inner nature of all humans to challenge the personal fears that we hold within us. Mafatu actualizes these challenges in his conflicts with the sea, personified in the Tahitian sea god, Moana. With his two animal companions, Uri, the dog, and Kivi, the albatross, Mafatu sets out to overcome his fears, to grow into a new and mature person. Young and older readers will learn much about Polynesian cultures and even learn some Tahitian language. There is also a spiritual part of this story which has often been overlooked by others. Mafatu constantly prays to and gives thanks for his survival, well being, and growth to Maui, the Polynesian god of the fishermen, who like the Greek Prometheus is responsible for giving fire to humankind. In the end, with the help of his animal friends, he is able to courageously and ingeniously overcome all of the internal and external challenges and thereby rightfully claim his meaningful name.

One caveat is that the "eaters-of-men," i.e., cannibals, are made out to be black, irrational and dangerous. While the story is simply a story that was first published in 1940, some youngsters may come away from the story with a distorted view of race.