I'M Not Scared

“It’s men, not monsters, you should be afraid of”. How do Michele’s fears change through the text?

By Pejman

Human Beings all experience different forms of fear throughout their lives. While children may fear monsters of their imagination, adults on the other hand, are often plagued by real fears related to either man or nature. Whilst Ammaniti portrays in the beginning of his novel, “I’m Not Scared”, the protagonist Michele being plagued by childish fears, products of his vivid imagination, this gradually changes as the result of a series of events. While the protagonist grows increasingly aware of the kidnapping, real fears start to intrude into Michele’s life, subsequently having an adverse effect on his relationship with his family, and in particular the bond he shares with his father. However, it is also these events which are the catalysts for Michele finding the courage to conquer his fears and ultimately regain trust in his father.

Michele’s initial fantasy fears of mythical monsters are typical of a young, creative boy of his age, forming an important part of the protagonist’s characterisation. He conjures up a world of witches “hunchbacked and wrinkled” and ogres, mythical creatures that often featured in the stories told by his father. Michele fears the dark as he passionately believes in all the monsters that stalk the darkness and his nightmares. An example of Michele’s childish and innocent view of the world is exhibited when he discovers Filippo, believing that he might be a werewolf, or the captive of witches and ogres. These thoughts illustrate the different monsters that he believes in, and demonstrate his use of these “fantasy” fears when attempting to interpret events in reality. Furthermore, his trapping of the monsters in his mind, so that they don’t disturb him in the night reveals the significance of these fears in his everyday world. Michele’s fears of such fantasy creatures and his keen belief in their existence...