Facing Monsters Historically, humankind has been presented with many obstacles and challenges that must be faced in order to thrive. People face monsters all the time, whether it’s a bully on the playground, the Nazis in World War II, or their innermost fears. Facing monsters is beneficial because it can build character, overcome fears, and encourage compassionate behavior.
Nature is one thing that humans have always feared, possibly because of its seemingly random destructive power. In “The Birds,” mankind is on the brink of destruction because the birds are amassing in great numbers and attacking everyone. Nat and his family are left to fend for themselves in the countryside while the cities are in chaos. People are scared out of their minds and past the point of rational thought. It is only because of Nat’s ability to keep a cool head, and the fact that he can deal with his fear, that his family survives until the end of the story. In order to face monsters a person must realize that…show more content… In “The Interlopers,” Ulrich and Georg ended up as friends. This never would have happened had they been afraid to face each other. If the two men had stayed in their homes that night they could have avoided their deaths, but they would have lived the rest of their lives with hatred and disrespect toward each other. In contrast, Eckels from “A Sound of Thunder” thought it best to run and hide from his monster, the T-Rex. If he had acted like Ulrich and Georg and risked his life to confront his monster he may have survived, since even without him the men were able to bring down the beast. Instead, he stepped off the Path and attempted to flee from his fears. Even though the people in both stories wound up dead, Eckels went filled with disbelief, regret, and despair. Meanwhile, Ulrich and Georg improved their character, dying with friendship on their minds and care in their