31 He tried to stare down his daughter, but Rosy was too much like her
mother. When she threw him the knockout punch of all looks, he relented. “Look,” he began. “It’s about the balance. Put your right here, twist your
hips and throw that one—” As he gave instructions, he positioned the girl until she was posed like a tiny Gene Tunney. She squinted in
concentration, then threw. Jim caught her fist in his big mitt. “Wow, look at that” he cried. “You got a better jab than I did.” As he and Rosy
laughed . . .” Cerasini, 2005: 109 – 110
Jimmy is doing right thing by refuse politely what Rosy’s want. It shows that Jimmy still has respect to his wife after they have words unconditionally. But
he cannot bear to see his daughter who keeps whining to ask to play with him.
3. Honest
James J. Braddock is also an honest father. It is proven when he teaches his first son, Jay, not to steal although they are poor. They must be honest. His
first son starts to understand how the situation is getting harder when they cannot eat. It makes him decide to steel meat in the butchery. The main reason why he
steals is he scares that his parents will send him away to his family in another town. He thinks that what has happened to his neighbor will also happen to him
and his brother and sister. Because of his fear, he thinks to help his parents to feed his brother and sister by stealing meat in the butchery. But he does not think about
the risk of his action. It makes his mother mad of him but different with Jimmy. As a good father, James J. Braddock does not mad at all, instead of explaining
about honesty to Jay briefly and also he tells him that as a father he promise never send his children away for any reason.
Jim stopped on the street, turned toward his son. The boy’s anger was gone now. The shame and desperation were gone too. Only one thing was left
32 in that young face . . . the same thing Jim felt earlier today, and almost
every day since the Crash. “You got scared,” Jim told his boy. “I can understand it. But we don’t
steal. No matter what happens. Not ever. Got me?” Jay swallowed, managed a nod.
“Are you giving me your word?” asked Jim. “Yes.”
“Go on.” “I promise.”
“Things aren’t so good right now, Jay, you’re right. But Daddy’s doing his best.” Jim touched his son’s cheek. Soon enough, the boy’s skin wouldn’t
be peach smooth anymore, thought Jim, he’d be shaving—he’d be a young man. Now was the time to make the boy understand what kind of man his
father wanted him to be. “There’s a lot of other people a lot less fortunate than us. And if you take
somthing, somebody else goes without.” Jim crouched down so he could look at his ten-year-old eye to eye. “Here;s my word, good as wheat in the
bin. We’re never going to send you away, son.” Cerasini, 2005: 45
With his love, he tries to give brief explanation not only about honesty but also integrity. Even for the first time Jay scares of his parents will do the same
thing like other parents do to their children, but his father’s explanation can help him to understand the meaning of honesty and integrity. Jay, as the first son, has
promised to his father not to repeat it again. He is able to do it because he is the first son, so he becomes a model to his brother and little sister. For another reason
is because his father does the same thing, never steal no matter what happens, and then he imitates his father.
The value of honesty is the most important for James J. Braddock and he wants to teach his all children to be an honest person. James ever feel wealth and
famous, but it does not for long time because of Great Depression inverts it into poverty. And poverty itself teaches James to be an honest person even in the worst
situation. He gets through it. Of course, as a father, James wants his children learnt honesty since they are kids. It will bring good impact for them in the future;
33 even at that moment they do not have wealth and fame. But the value for James’
family is they do have honesty.
4. Persistent
Another characteristic of James J. Braddock is a persistent person. That is because the circumstances require him to do that. The main reason is poverty. In
some cases to proof that he is a good husband and father, he does not care about himself instead of his wife and three children. For example, he keeps working
even his gets injury in his hand. Hands are very important for a person to work or do something. Almost all
thing people do by using hands. The work will mess up if hands cannot do its function because of injuries. That is happened to James J. Braddock when he
works at port for the first time; he gets injury at his left hand because of his last match.
Jim had never before employed his left hand to do much of anything. Trying to operate the hook with it was a struggle, especially while
attempting to keep the blackened cast on his broken right hidden behind his back. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he willed his muscles into
achieving some kind of workable balance. Cerasini, 2005: 70
He keeps working day by day in the port; even he has to hide his injury hand from the port leader. The injury body is not allowed to port workers, but he
tries to hide it in order to get some money and feed his family in a day. Now, after his dock shift had ended, Jim shoveled coal—with his left arm,
of course. It was another new exercise, another struggle, but eventually he found a rhythm and a balance to make the one-handed shoveling work.
Cerasini, 2005: 82
34 Working in the port is such a lucky thing to people at that time. Because of
the Great Depression makes many people in America are jobless, and job vacancies do not as many as the jobless people. In port, people who work this day
does not mean will work for the next day. That is why people who work there are very lucky. The system that is used by the port leader is pointing to people who
have been waiting in front of the gate since the very early morning. The port leader is going to pick people who look healthy and strong based on his eyes.
James is very lucky, because he has been chose to work in the port several days in a row.
He does work hard and spend all day long in the port, indeed it makes James looks very tired and take a rest for a while before continue to work.
Alone on the staircase, Jim stopped for a minute to lean on the banister and compose himself. He was tired and frozen, and his back was sore as hell
from the torturous dock work and the long soup line. Cerasini, 2005: 76
After James works hard in the port, his earn is always not enough to pay the bill of heat electricity, to buy milk for children, and food. Although he spends much time
in the port, the money is never enough. —about how long he would have to work at the docks or the yards to earn
so much ready cash, and the fact that it was only one fight, not a comeback.” Cerasini, 2005: 112
Because of that circumstance, then he does such a brave thing. It embarrasses for some people, but James J. Braddock has no choice. He just does that to get money
so that he can pay the bill of heat electricity, to buy milk and food for his family. He comes to his previous office and meets his managers. He comes not for the
reason of gathering, instead of tells them about his family condition and asks some money from them.
35 “Went to the relief office. Gave me twelve eighty. I need thirteen sixty
more. To pay the bill. Get them back.” Girding himself, he slowly looked up. “It pains me to ask . . . so much . . . but I sure would be grateful . . .”
Jim took off his hat and stretched it out, like the pan-handlers on the street below. Cerasini, 2005: 102
He does not care about this embarrassing action, what he has on his mind only he can feed his family. He does not care about of the judgements from the managers;
he also does not care of what people think or say about him. He just does it as his function as husband and father who loves family so much, then he will do
anything for them. Not because his wife and children ask him to do so, but more than that, he realizes his job as a husband to Mae and as a father to Jay, Howard
and Rose Mary. That is why steady and never gives up are the only choice that he had toward his own and family’s life.
5. Confident
From around the year 1919 to 1923, James J. Braddock does many jobs, such as a messenger boy for Western Union, a printers devil, a teamster and an
errand boy in a silk mill. At fourteen, he started working a series of unskilled jobs. Along the way,
his older brother Joe had started to box and made it all the way from an amateur welter-weight championship to a professional rating. One day, he
and Jimmy got into a brotherly argument. The fists started flying, and to everyone’s astonishment, including Jim himself, the skinny younger
brother held his own against the older, more experienced fists. Cerasini, 2005: 16
It is during this time that Jimmy discovered his passion for boxing. Then James spends a few years honing his boxing skill as a confident successful amateur
fighter throughout New Jersey.
