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Why does Daniel feel uneasy waiting to rob a man in "The Bronze Bow"?
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Daniel feels uneasy about robbing a man due to several factors. Firstly, it's his first solo mission, increasing the pressure to succeed to prove his worth to Rosh. Secondly, his growing conscience, influenced by Jesus' teachings and the kindness of friends, conflicts with Rosh's violent methods. Lastly, the task involves harming an elderly man who reminds Daniel of his grandfather, sparking empathy and a moral dilemma about the robbery's righteousness.
Daniel is uneasy for a number of reasons in Chapter Nine. Firstly, this robbery is going to be the very first job that he has carried out by himself, without any help. As a result, there is pressure on him not to make a mistake. In order to prove his usefulness to Rosh, he recognises that he "must not bungle" this job. At the same time, he also recognises that Rosh has given him this job to carry out alone for varying motives that it is important for him to remember:
He understood that in a way this was a peace offering on Rosh's part, to repay him for mending the dagger. It was also, he knew, a test, the easy sort of test that Rosh soften devised to try out a ma's usefulness.
As a result, Daniel is very uneasy because of the pressure and the expectations on him to pass this test. There is also the recognition that Rosh is a man who is trying to work out his usefulness and whether he can be depended upon or not. These combine to make him feel very uneasy indeed.
Why does Daniel feel uneasy waiting for the man Rosh sent him to rob in The Bronze Bow?
Daniel had lost his father, uncle and later his mother, attributing their deaths to unjust Roman rule. His only sister seemed to have lost her mind, and his grandmother lived in abject penury. These unfortunate events forced his grandmother to sell him into slavery.Daniel escaped slavery and joined Rosh’s rebellion headquartered in the mountains around Galilee.
Daniel and Rosh shared the same resentment for the Romans and only wished death upon them. However, Rosh was not forthright in his endeavors and often robbed the Jews claiming it was necessary to support their rebellion. To some extent Daniel believed him until he met Jesus and encountered the different message he preached.
Rosh sent Daniel on an errand to rob an old Jewish traveler known to carry gold on his journey. Daniel felt uneasy because of the conflict between what he had learned from Rosh and what he knew about right and wrong. With regards to the robbery, Daniel felt it was the wrong thing to do, but he justified his actions based on Rosh’s ideas. Further, the mission required that he kill the man he robbed.
In The Bronze Bow, why does Daniel feel uneasy waiting to rob the man for Rosh?
By this point in the novel, Daniel is developing a conscience, largely due to the love and kindness of his friends, Daniel and Thacia, the dedication of his friend (the former slave) Simon the Zealot to the peaceful teachings of Jesus, and by the living example of Jesus himself. Jesus' kindness and humanity are beginning to be apparent to Daniel, and more appealing, when he compares Jesus to Rosh.
More literally, the reality of the task of harming another human being is repugnant. While Daniel had hurt others in the past, they had been attacked from afar. This deed is all too real, the pain he must inflict too palpable.
Finally, the old man whom Daniel is instructed to rob reminds the teenager of his own grandfather. Daniel's empathy for the eldery man is stirred; he moves his victim to the shade of a rock, and leaves the man one of the two weapons he carried in order that he may defend himself.
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