The Labors of Hercules Beal

In depicting the complexities of grief, The Labors of Hercules Beal suggests that leaning on others in times of need will help a person grow stronger. Repeatedly, Hercules is both the recipient and provider of support as he learns the Community Impact on Individual Healing.

Hercules’s growing ability to accept aid from others proves central to his character arc as the Truro community rallies around him to help him move forward after his parents’ deaths. On his first day at the Academy, Mr. Farley, the custodian, urges the boy to be kind to himself in the wake of his loss. Although Hercules does not know it yet, this is the first in a long line of encouraging words and supportive actions by the community. Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer, the no-nonsense humanities teacher, is one of the most nurturing influences on the boy. Even when he appears to be cold and unbending, the man shows care, like when he whispers to Hercules that he knows the boy has had it tough. Frequently, the Lieutenant Colonel, other teachers, and neighbors step up to help him. In his reflection on the 11th labor—delivering the crab apple trees—Hercules writes,

Maybe, the stuff we hold up, we don’t have to hold up by ourselves all the time.