Question 1 Response

In the novel, Peter is the protagonist who runs away from Sir Philip, the antagonist. Typically, the protagonist would not flee from the antagonist. The author might have made this unusual decision for the main character so that the story would be more entertaining and realistic. By describing the Shakespearean England through the eyes of a typical peasant of the time and not through the the nobles or other higher members of the hierarchy, the story can be expressed in the opinion similar the majority. Back in the time of the story, most of the people were somewhat like Peter, and so this choice of a protagonist must be more suitable.

Having Peter run away from Sir Philip would also tie into how the author sends his message about running away from one's troubles. The novel began with Peter getting in trouble by trying to hit Sir Philip with a rock. It didn't turn out good so he ran away in fear of being caught by Sir Philip and his people. Later in the story when Peter realizes that Sir Philip was in the conspiracy to kill the Queen, he had to go back and face Sir Philip again. At the end of the story, Sir Philip was caught and executed, thanks to Peter being brave enough to go back and face his troubles.

From reading the novel, hiding from one's troubles can go both ways. When Peter first ran away from Sir Philip, everything seemed to turn out for the bad. His parents were upset and he was scared himself. During his journey with the traveling actors, he went through many tough times and worked very hard to keep himself alive. It also caused him to later risk his life to protect the Queen by finding out about the conspiracy. However, at the end of the novel, he ended up with a pretty good life. He's married and has kids. Thinking back, it might be worth all of it. But if his journey ended anywhere before he got married, then it would have been more trouble than the one he started out with.

Whether to avoid or to face one's troubles depends on the situation. Sometimes, both facing and avoiding troubles could mean getting into more trouble. Sometimes, it could mean solving the problem right there. If trouble is in the form of breaking a vase or something, avoiding it would mean to lie about who did it. In order to cover up a lie, one usually has to cover it up with a bunch of other lies, which is more trouble. Facing it would mean to confess and get it over with. Sure it may mean punishment but it saves more troubles. For the Jews who fled Nazi Germany to avoid their troubles, that proved to be better than going straight up to Hitler and facing him.

In my opinion, facing my troubles would be better in most situations than avoiding them. It normally saves the burden of the constant worrying on how to avoid the trouble. Facing it and getting it over with would be more relieving to me. Unless the punishment is really great, I think facing your troubles would be the better choice.