The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare Book Review

In the story The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare, Daniel is a Galilean boy. He had been enslaved to a blacksmith and decided that the only way to be free was to run away. However, ever since Palestine had been conquered by the Romans, Daniel has not been at peace. This story tells the struggles Daniel faces against the Romans to avenge the death of both of his parents and free his country from them. As the story unfolds, Daniel demonstrates that he is consistently fearless, and develops from being a hateful person to being compassionate toward others.

Throughout the book, Daniel has been fearless. In the beginning of the book, he fought a Roman guard. Daniel “caught his arm, twisted it back, and, seizing the weapon from the fat unresisting fingers, poked it against the roll of fat that covered the man’s ribs.” This shows how brave and fearless Daniel is because even though the guard was armed and Daniel could have gotten hurt, he still decided to face him. When Daniel stood up for Samson and said “``Anyone who tries any tricks will have me to reckon with,``'' (35), he proved himself brave because many people could fight him or turn against him, but he decided to stand up for Samson anyway. The most important way in which Daniel was fearless is that in the novel, he led a group to rescue Joel from the Romans. When Daniel first finds out that Joel has been taken by the Romans, he asks Rosh for help, and Rosh says no. Daniel is now left with the only choice of taking matters into his own hands, even if he may end up hurt. Regardless of what the problem is, Daniel’s constant fearlessness will help him succeed.

Throughout most of the story, Daniel is hateful toward the Romans. When his parents were killed, Daniel vowed to get revenge. Daniel states: “I hate the Romans. I want their blood. That is what I live for.” (80) Daniel is full of hate because he becomes angry against anyone who is Roman. When Daniel was leaving the city, a Roman soldier asked him to give him water, but Daniel became angry that the Roman soldier was telling him what to do, so Daniel took the bowl and “hurled the contents of the bowl straight into the man’s face.” (70) Daniel was not only hateful, but he was also disrespectful toward the man. Once when Daniel was working in Simon’s shop, a Roman soldier came in and asked if Daniel could repair his horse’s broken bridle ring. Leah had just come into the house, and the Roman saw her, which angered Daniel so much that “murderous hate boiled up in him.” (132) This proves Daniel to be hateful because he hates Romans so much, that not even one is allowed to see his sister. Throughout most of the book, Daniel feels this intense emotion of loathing. 

Eventually, near the end of Daniel’s journey, he starts being compassionate toward those around him. When Daniel took his new team to save Joel, he “had no real expectation that he would get up the bank, but he meant to see, with the last ounce of his strength, that Joel did.” (205) This shows how caring Daniel is because at the beginning of the novel Daniel and Joel were not friends and eventually Daniel’s character change led him to care about Joel even so that he would be willing to risk his own life to save Joel’s. As Daniel and the group of boys were in the bank, Daniel “knew that every boy in the band was prepared to give his life. It was up to him, the one they had chosen leader, to see that none of them had to.” (205) In this moment, Daniel is being a true leader by showing that he cares about his band, even though he does not know the boys in it too well. The most important way in which Daniel demonstrates his character change, is that in the end after Jesus leaves his house, Daniel is about to thank him when he suddenly sees Marcus, the Roman soldier. Daniel walks up to him and says: “I think she would want to say good-bye to you,”... “will you come into our house?” (254) This is a big deal for Daniel because he is finally able to let go of his past and forgive the Romans for what they did to him. By inviting the soldier into his house, Daniel shows that he cares even for those who are of Roman blood.

In conclusion, Daniel is constantly fearless, and despite the fact that he is loathful at first, he develops consideration for those around him. At a young age, Daniel’s parents had died by the Roman hand. All Daniel had ever wanted to do was get revenge. Or so that was until he came across Jesus of Nazareth. In the story’s end, Jesus teaches Daniel that he can not win his battles if he is hateful, and that only kindness can bring him liberty. At last, Daniel forgives the Romans, and achieves a state of peace within himself.