Death Not Be Proud

The novel, Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther, is the story of the fight of a child to stay alive. Johnny Gunther Jr.'s constant hope got him out of bed every morning with a positive attitude. His outright disagreement to the fact that he was going to die and his determination not to, kept a powerful spirit in him so that he didn't give up. Johnny's stubborn determination to not accept defeat at his early age, along with the great courage he showed when realizing that he must accept his defeat, is a strong point told in this novel. Johnny's hope, determination, and courage kept his death at a stand still.

One of the main reasons that Johnny remained alive for so much longer than he should have lived, was the hope that he had. He hoped every day of his illness that he would get better, that his parents would be less sad, or that some doctor would come up with an idea that would heal him. Because of his hope, Johnny never complained or whined during the entire course of his

illness. He always obeyed the doctors' wishes and followed their instructions because he wanted to get well so bad. Although he realized that eventually his life would end, he still

never gave up the hope that perhaps he could outsmart death, or get away with living a few more hours then they expected.

Each day, the determination Johnny had to get well, live a normal life, and even maintain his schoolwork was rare. After being away from school for sixteen months, being tested constantly by doctors, and having a rapidly deteriorating brain, Johnny still managed to graduate with his class and be accepted into Harvard. Throughout his illness, Johnny always had an undieing will to survive, to awake the next morning and find that he was well, that he had only been dreaming the nightmare of his illness. When Johnny awoke each morning, he felt the bandage on his head and realized that he was living the nightmare. But even through disappointment,