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
During the springtime barley harvest, Daniel grows impatient. He wants to fight the Romans, but Rosh keeps sending them into brief skirmishes that don’t seem meaningful to Daniel. He wishes he could talk to Joel. Finally he convinces Rosh to let him visit Capernaum. Rosh tells Daniel not to get his hopes up about Joel, whose grandfather was wealthy—Joel has much to lose. But he lets Daniel go.
Even up here on the mountain, life doesn’t proceed quite to Daniel’s liking. Rosh isn’t moving quickly enough for him. At least Joel shares Daniel’s enthusiasm to fight. But Rosh warns Daniel that because Joel has a family legacy at stake, he’s unlikely to follow up his convictions with actions.
Themes
Before dawn the next morning, Daniel leaves the mountain for the journey to Capernaum. He eventually travels down a slope toward the Sea of Galilee and enters the city. He wanders the bustling streets down to the harbor, feeling hungry and realizing Rosh hadn’t given him any money to buy food. A smiling young woman offers him a cooked fish, fresh from last night’s catch, and asks if he’s looking for the teacher. Curious, Daniel pushes down to the beach where Jesus is standing among the fishermen, joking with the crowd. Again, Daniel is struck by the man’s warmth and strength.
Daniel isn’t prepared for city life. He’s used to stealing and foraging for his food, so he thinks fending for himself will be a challenge in Capernaum. But when he stumbles upon Jesus’s followers, his expectations are overturned again. The people around Jesus seem to look out for one another and for those who don’t have anything.
Themes
Jesus begins to teach the crowd. He compares the kingdom of heaven to a valuable pearl and a net bursting with fish. Daniel’s attention is interrupted by the appearance of two soldiers among the crowd. Neither Jesus nor the rest of the crowd seems to notice them, but Daniel spits and angrily walks away.
Jesus’s talk about the kingdom of heaven doesn’t fit into Daniel’s understanding. He talks about it in terms of pricelessness and abundance. These images are lost on Daniel because he’s too distracted by the intrusion of the Romans. He doesn’t believe they can have any part of God’s kingdom.
Themes
As Daniel wanders through Capernaum, he can’t escape the sight of Roman soldiers. Yet other Jews seem to take the soldiers’ presence in stride. Daniel can’t understand this. Do the Jews have no pride? Why doesn’t Jesus do something about it?
To Daniel, the Romans’ presence in Capernaum is a constant provocation—it’s all he’s capable of seeing. It even distorts his perception of his fellow Jews. He interprets their inaction as indifference to their own suffering.
Themes
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Finally, Daniel remembers his errand and searches for Rabbi Hezron’s house, on a steep hill above Capernaum’s harbor. Among wealthier houses, Daniel begins to doubt his welcome. When a servant lets him into the house, he is astonished by the sunny courtyard filled with trees, marble, and a splashing fountain. Soon, he’s greeted by Malthace, who seems dismayed by his appearance. But Joel welcomes him exuberantly. When Daniel starts to take off his cloak, Joel notices the battered garment underneath and tells him to leave it on.
The contrast between Daniel’s life on the mountain and city life is more apparent than ever, as Daniel is obviously out of place in Rabbi Hezron’s opulent home. Though Malthace sees this immediately, Joel tries to tactfully brush it off.
Themes
As Daniel cleans up, he updates Joel on happenings in Rosh’s camp. Then they join Hezron for dinner. Daniel awkwardly imitates Joel in reclining on the Roman-style couches. He feels out of place in the midst of the finery and formality, and when he gobbles down his food, he senses Hezron’s disdain. When Daniel mentions his father, Jamin, Hezron remembers Jamin as a rash man, though his fate was tragic. Throughout the conversation, Daniel feels angry and alienated.
In ancient Roman society, wealthier people ate their meals while reclining on couches. This Roman cultural practice is especially chafing for Daniel, both because he hates the Romans and because he’s lower class. But Hezron’s offhand comment about Daniel’s father is even more off-putting.
Themes
When Hezron says that Capernaum’s Jews are indebted to the Romans for their synagogue, Daniel jumps up in anger, saying he would never enter a synagogue raised with Roman funds. Hezron scolds Daniel for speaking too freely and for insulting his hospitality. Daniel blushes and apologizes, but he tells Hezron that he can’t bear to see Jews living alongside Romans as if nothing is wrong. At this, Hezron softens and tells Daniel that though all Jews grieve the occupation, they must be patient. The Zealots may be brave, he thinks, but they lack judgment.
A Roman-supported synagogue is an especially sore point for Daniel. He believes that Romans and Jews should be totally separate, so entering this synagogue seems like a traitorous act. It suggests that it’s possible for Romans and Jews to live in harmony, something Daniel can’t accept. Hezron isn’t unsympathetic, but he disagrees with Zealots’ reckless tactics.
Themes
Hezron goes on to tell Daniel that Israel’s greatest strength is the Jewish Law. The Law will outlast Roman occupation, and it commands Jewish people’s highest loyalty. That’s why, Hezron says, he can’t let Joel associate with Daniel—he cannot let Joel be swayed toward violence. He dismisses Daniel from his house. Daniel storms out, but as soon as he does, he feels ashamed. He’s let Rosh down—and he’s also lost the first friend he ever made.
Not only is Hezron tolerant of the Roman presence, he’s also a Pharisee—something just as alienating for Daniel. The Pharisees upheld a detailed observance of the biblical Law, meaning a less scrupulous Jew like Daniel would be seen as unclean. Because Daniel is a Zealot, he’s dangerous as well.
Themes
