Throughout the text, the characters present bravery as an admirable and typically masculine quality, though they offer differing conceptions of it. Elijah evaluates or identifies bravery primarily in terms of demeanor. To him, Spunk is brave because he takes what he wants without showing any signs of fear or weakness; Joe, on the other hand, is not brave because he hesitates and displays his anxiety openly. The narrative exposes the limitation of Elijah’s understanding when he underestimates Joe’s bravery, based on his assumption that Joe will not attack Spunk, and overestimates Spunk’s bravery, which is exposed as empty bravado. Since Elijah bases his conception of bravery primarily on appearances, it leaves him susceptible to deception.

Spunk offers a second interpretation. To him, bravery consists of following an unwritten, even chivalric, code, including a rule that opponents should fight each other face to face and in the open. Though Spunk never defines the full terms of the code, he does accuse Joe of violating it, exhibiting his cowardice, when Joe sneaks up on Spunk in the woods. Moments before his death, Spunk reiterates his accusation, saying, “It was Joe, ‘Lige—the dirty sneak shoved me…he didn’t dare to come to mah face” (61).