I'M Not Scared

Topic: "Michele's parents see him only as a child and underestimate how perceptive and sensitive he is."

In I'm Not Scared, Michele is an innocent victim of the adults of Acqua Traverse. This young child possesses a high sense of morality which is clearly demonstrated through his caring nature, yet his parents fail to see these qualities in his character. Not only are his parents oblivious to the caring nature that their son exhibits, but they reluctantly place their own child in danger for their own benefit.

Michele did not want to lose his race, but his moral qualities prevented him from pursuing victory. Seeing that Maria had been "swallowed up by the wheat", Michele could not just leave his sister behind, when after all, he was her "big brother." By doing this it was clear to Michele that he would lose the race, but he knew that he had a high level of responsibility to nurture his sister when she is in need. Michele, like the other children of the group, was intimidated by the bully Skull, whose sadistic nature seemed to be centered around a sexual perversion towards Barbara. Despite this 'power' of Skull, Michele knew that Skull's perversion went too far when he demanded Barbara show the group her "slit." Michele honestly disliked Barbara like the others, referring to the group's outcast as a "demented sow." Regardless of his feelings, Michele insisted that he wanted to do the "forfeit", even though he was unaware of what Skull would have him do. Michele's actions on these childhood adventures were nothing short of courageous and were highly reflective of his sense of right and wrong.

Michele was an innocent child who believed that Acqua Traverse was part of a non-violent world. Michele did indeed want to move to the "North" to escape the poverty in the "South", but expected his hard-working father would raise enough money through his job. Being highly respective and idolistic of his father, Michele was often excited when his father was home: "Papa's...