Previous
Chapter 18
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Bronze Bow, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love vs. Vengeance
Trust, Dependence, and Friendship
Leadership: Power vs. Service
Earthly Hopes vs. Heavenly Values
Summary
Analysis
In the predawn darkness, the boys hide on a steep, rocky bank beside the Via Maris, the road the Romans take to the coast. They gather stones and watch caravans and other travelers pass by below them. Further down, Daniel posts Nathan and Kemuel—they’ll grab Joel after Daniel has freed him from his chains. Daniel himself doubts that he will make it back up the cliff.
Daniel has always been willing to die for a cause. Now, however, instead of dying for a more abstract cause (like political revolution), Daniel is willing to die for something very specific—his friend. This is a big shift in his view of leadership.
Themes
As they wait in the hot sun, Daniel grows more anxious. This isn’t like anything he ever did for Rosh, which mostly involved lightly guarded caravans. Now he’s leading a band of untested boys against a detachment of Roman soldiers. It’s different from what he’s ever imagined, and he can’t help wondering if his dreams of fighting for God’s Victory will ever come true.
Daniel sees that he’s stepping into unknown territory—venturing to do something bolder than Rosh ever did. Though he doesn’t acknowledge it, Daniel’s effort also follows in his father’s footsteps. (His father mounted a foolhardy rescue attempt for his brother and ultimately died for it.)
Themes
In midafternoon, Joktan warns them that a group of about eight horsemen, some foot-soldiers, and prisoners are on their way. Daniel gives the whistled signal. Soon after, the Romans appear. Daniel waits tensely as the horsemen and then 16 foot-soldiers slowly pass by. Once the prisoners come into view—an unkempt Joel among them—Daniel finally gives the signal to move. Rocks begin flying down the slope and hitting soldiers. Though several men are driven back, Daniel’s heart sinks as he sees the rest organizing themselves as if preparing to charge the bank.
The rescue attempt gets underway. Though they’re brave, cohesive, and earnest, Daniel’s little group is clearly outnumbered and outmatched. It quickly becomes clear that they’re no match for a detachment of Roman soldiers.
Themes
Just then, Daniel hears a thunderous noise. A huge boulder crashes down the slope. Then he sees a crouched figure charging down the bank and realizes it is Samson! Seizing his chance, Daniel throws himself down after the rushing man and thrusts his dagger into one of Joel’s guards. He quickly begins chiseling into Joel’s chains, ignoring the screams and crashing noises around him. Just as he’s making progress on Joel’s chains, he finds himself lifted off the ground and smashed against a rock. Soon, he sees nothing but darkness.
Samson, ever loyal to Daniel, comes through for him at the last possible moment, in an act of self-sacrificing love and courage. Though Samson wasn’t included in Daniel’s training or planning, he trusts Daniel to do the right thing—especially when it involves someone who’s in chains, as he used to be. The suspense mounts as Daniel is thrown aside and disabled by unseen hands.
Themes
Get the entire The Bronze Bow LitChart as a printable PDF.
The next thing Daniel knows, he’s lying on a rock in glaring sun, and his body is filled with pain. He sees Joel sitting nearby, his head down. Kemuel warns Daniel to move slowly—he’s got some broken bones because Joel landed on top of him and his irons struck Daniel. The soldiers have gone. Daniel suddenly remembers seeing Samson. Joel explains that it was Samson, not a soldier, who threw Daniel against a rock. Then he twisted Joel’s chains off with his bare hands and freed him. Daniel realizes that Samson was following them all along. He may not have understood Daniel’s plan, but he knew they needed help, and he almost single-handedly scattered the soldiers. But then, Joel tells Daniel, Samson was badly wounded by a spear-thrust and taken prisoner; he surely won’t live long enough to reach the galleys. When Daniel turns his head in grief, he sees Nathan, the newlywed, lying facedown, with blood pooled beneath him.
When Daniel regains consciousness, he learns that it was actually Samson who saved Joel, not him. Samson even saved Daniel’s life, and it will end up costing Samson his own life. Samson had nothing to gain by acting in this way. He did it out of love for Daniel. Samson’s action is therefore the opposite of selfish vengeance.
Themes
Daniel and the others gingerly make their way to the cliff-top. After darkness falls, a few of the boys reclaim Nathan’s body from the slope, and they bury him. Then, one by one, each boy heads home along the road. Everyone is grateful to have succeeded in the mission to rescue Joel. Yet they also know that if it hadn’t been for Samson, they would have failed altogether. Their confidence is shattered.
The near failure is a turning point for Daniel. Seeing what it took to overpower even a small group of Romans, he begins to see that God’s victory won’t be achieved by mere strength. Whatever his lingering faith in Rosh’s approach to fighting, it is being crushed.
Themes
