Joe states that he's not a brave man. Do you agree with him? How do you define bravery? Do you consider yourself brave? Why or why not?

Joe states that he's not a brave man. Do you agree with him? How do you define bravery? Do you consider yourself brave? Why or why not?

I agree with Joe, i do not think he is brave. Bravery is putting yourself out there, taking a risk at something you might not normally do. I do think there have been some times when I have been brave.

Bravery can take all sorts of forms. I think he's brave in performing in front of crowds; that can take a lot of guts. And he was brave when he cut ties with his father, realizing the relationship was toxic. He was brave to risk a relationship with October.

But I think simply leaving Cal and October because he didn't want to hurt either of them was definitely cowardly.

I agree that Joe was not brave, up until his ultimate return to California and October. Bravery can be many things in different contexts, and I think I may be brave in some ways but not others.

Joe was not a brave man through most of the book. At the end, we see a glimpse of him attempting to become more courageous. It still felt fragile, however, and as readers we can only hope that the new-found connection with October will last. If I were October, I would probably run screaming in the other direction. But, she seems to feel this deep connection and understanding with Joe that isn't easy to walk away from, and I get that. But damn, brother, you gotta step up. He does at the end, and I really hope it "sticks" this time.

Joe was not brave a brave person. He was insecure and so afraid of failure, or being rejected, that he was unable to act upon the things he wanted. Having Cal return to his life, and loving October, made him run away from facing life again. However, he acted bravely when he went to see October at her Sorrow exhibit, and finally when he asked to go to to see the tree with him at the end.

I don’t consider him to be brave. He needs to be pushed into action and he does too much rationalization. To be brave one reacts immediately to the crisis or situation.

Joe isn't brave however, it's brave of him to declare this. He runs away when life gets hard. He doesn't speak when his brother dies. He always seems to take the easy way out when things get tough for him. He misses a lot of life by running away from it.

Bravery is doing the right thing even when you are afraid. Eventually Joe was able to become brave in his life and in his art. So maybe he was right at first but he overcame it.

Joe is a quiet, introverted person who has experienced much sadness in his early life. His tendency is to withdraw when faced with a challenge. So, in this sense, he is not a brave person. He would rather be left alone than have to do something where he feels uncomfortable.

Joe was definitely not brave. I kept rooting for him to find his bravery. At times, it was annoying. It hurts me when I see people behave like Joe. Sometimes you just want to shake them into seeing their potential. I would consider myself brave (most of the time) because I take risks and go to the "pain" of uncomfortable situations. No risk=No reward.

I don’t know if it is a question of bravery for Joe. He just shuts down when he could solve his many of his problems by communicating. He runs away from confrontation. I know of many people who avoid conflict, but they resolve nothing and never move forward.

Joe is so insecure and unsure of himself. I think that those are traits that can change..as I have gotten older, I know I have become more self assured , so I think Joe could possibly have changed and become more brave at the end of the book. I sure hope so, because it is painful to watch someone who is so insecure try to get through life. I hope he really did become more brave and follow his dreams in the end.

The closest thing to bravery for Joe is going back to see October in the end. Then again, there is the argument that all artists/musicians who put themselves and their work out there for others to judge are brave as well. In that sense, Joe is a unique combination of bravery and cowardice. I would struggle with the artistic/music bravery, but I would not run away from every obstacle like Joe did for much of his life.