Courageous The Characterization of James J. Braddock

45 “I can still fight.” “Go home to Mae and the kids, Jim.” Cerasini, 2005: 59 Many things James do as his struggle to prove himself and his family that Great Depression cannot break the relationship in his family. With no work available, James struggles to win the hard situation so he can put food on the table for his wife and his three little children. That is why he becomes an extraordinary person by doing many things he can do for people who becomes his spirit through this hard situation. After losing his job as a boxer, his wealth from fighting is depleted for everyday needs, such as electric heater, milk and food. It makes James to work harder to earn money to pay the bill of electric heater and to buy milk and food. All that mattered in the world was keeping this family together. Jim was killing himself trying to do it, taking as many jobs as he could find. But it wasn’t working. Every week, no matter how many hours Jim toiled, they fell further behind. They had lost their heat and electricity. Cerasini, 2005: 93 Working in the Port is his first choice to do. This is not easy to do but many people choose to go to the port to get work. He needs to wake up every early morning to get this job and he also rely on his luck in this work because the port leader decides the workers by using pointed system to the people who already waits in front of the gate. But James’ luck is about to give him job in the port for some days. He does not care with his injury hand, but he still works in the port and trains himself to pull up scoop with his left hand. “I can use my left.” Cerasini, 2005: 55 means that he seriously wants to work at the port to earn some money. His wife, Mae Theresa, always gives him support. The love of his wife and three children supply power for him to do this hard work. He shows to 46 his wife and three children that he is a responsible father. He is also a steady father who never gives up against the poverty which hit him and his family. This morning’s dawn seemed brighter than days’ past. As rays of red- stained gold broke through the horizon’s low clouds, Jake, the gaunt-faced, middle-aged foreman, approached the gate from the other side. Jim shoved his shattered hand farther behind him and pushed forward, holding onto hope. “One, two, three …” Jake walked along the group, looking over the men, moving his finger one way then another. Half steps and half inches, thought Jim, just like the ring, nerve and chance determining life-changing outcomes. “… five, six, seven …” Jim straightened his boxer’s built-up shoulders, focused on Jake with a fighter’s eyes, willing himself to be seen. “… eight …” Jake’s appraising gaze fell on Jim. Braddock moved a half step closer. The foreman’s finger moved a half inch. He pointed directly at Jim. “Nine.” A win. With profound relief, Jim’s eyes closed, his lungs expelled the air they’d been holding. For a split-second, he almost heard the crazy roar of the crowd, felt the jolt of little Joe Gould jumping on his back. Behind him, the huddle of men began to break up. Dissipating like ghosts into the gloom, they moved away from the docks, murmuring to each other about where to go next. Jim moved east, toward the rising light of the breaking dawn and the hard physical labor of shift work, counting himself one of the lucky few. Cerasini, 2005: 68-69 Poverty can break up the relationship between father and mother or parents and children. Some fathers in his environment choose to suicide or leave their wife and children with irresponsibility. But in James family it cannot be happened, because for him family is everything. He will not let anyone or anything separate his family unity. Even his wife ever once almost gives up with the family condition. She leaves all children to her sister in other town. She knew this ugly scene was typical. No longer able to earn a living, thousands of husbands and fathers had simply given up trying. … Mae shuddered at the thought of losing her husband this way. She tried not to imagine a day when Jim Braddock would give up on his family. And though she told herself that he was not like those other men, Mae knew 47 that her husband was only human, and there was only so much a man could do in the face of such overwhelming odds against him.” Cerasini, 2005: 92 James tries to give brief explanation for his wife that he will struggle to fulfill his family needs. What he needs only the unity of his family as his motivation doing all these struggles. The first time he knows that Mae sends away their children to her sister in other town, he is disappointed with his wife decision which decides something without consideration from him as husband. But later he understands the way Mae think, she just afraid to the condition that is not getting worse. “If it was that easy, why didn’t I just go on relief, get a book and put my feet up?” He was simmering now. His own wife had given up, given in. Hadn’t he been out on the street seven days, looking for work? Hadn’t he been acting like a man? Doing anything and everything he could to support his family? “Every day, out there, it was so we could stay together. What else was it for? If we can’t stay together, it means we lost.” Cerasini, 2005: 95 Unfortunately the money of his work in the port is not enough to fulfill his daily needs. That is the reason why Mae has given up. James realizes that and he starts to think to get a new work. But he cannot find it. He still does not get the chance to fight again. At the bottom of the barrel, James swallows his pride, and fills for government relief to help support his family needs. He owes some money from the bank and gets some money from the government because he is an ex- boxer. But still it does not enough to pay the bill of electricity heater, to buy milk and food. At the scarred and battered wooden counter of the Newark relief office, a stern-faced woman counted out twelve dollars and eighty cents, then placed the money in a white envelope with a state seal. Hands shaking, Jim signed the receipt book, trying not to berate himself for what he’d once been, what he’d once believed about himself as a man. He snatched up the cash and thrust it into his coat pocket. 48 Witnessing his shame, the woman’s hardened expression softened a moment. “I would never have expected to see you here, Jim.” The words rang like the closing bell of a fifteen-round defeat. With a red- faced nod, Jim pushed through the miserable crowd, eyes downcast, unable to forget the phrase some newspaper columnist had used to describe these unending relief lines: “Worms that walk like men.” Cerasini, 2005: 95-96 He is brave on doing that because of the condition was getting worse. He needs money to pay the electricity because the weather is very cold. There is snow in everywhere, his children were freeze. But he does not any money to make the electricity on, that is why he went to the bank and borrows some money. His motivation on doing that is only his family, nothing else. He struggles mightily so his wife and his three children can eat and feel warm in the cold weather. James goes to the boxing club and meets some of boxing managers, promoters, and professional oddsmakers. He asks them to have mercy to give him some money because his own still does not enough to pay the electric heater, to buy milk and food. He gathers his courage to face them and humbled himself to ask for some money on them. The once great fighter cleared his throat and said, “Thing is, I can’t afford to pay the heat. Had to farm out my kids …” Jim’s voice broke just then. He looked down at the floor and swallowed hard. “They keep cutting shifts at the dock. You don’t get picked every day … Just need enough to catch up.” The shame was almost too much to bear. ‘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. The room was speechless now, the men uncomfortable with this specter of defeat among them. Finally, Mr. Allen dug into his pocket. “Sure, Jim, sure,” he said and spilled several coins into Jim’s hat.