The Four Feathers

"The Four Feathers" by A. E. W. Mason is a story unfolding in a time when heroes were made on battlefields and bravery was a family tradition. It follows Harry Feversham, a young man who suddenly quits the army right before his unit ships out to Egypt. This act brands him a coward in the eyes of his friends and loved ones. The story really digs into whether true courage means following orders blindly or standing up for what you believe in, even if it means facing shame. Following Feversham, in the beginning of the novel, as he struggles with heavy expectations and inner fears, the story takes off when he receives three white feathers from people that used to believe in him. This sets him on a tough journey to prove his bravery, not by fighting in the expected war, but by facing conflicts in his own way to redeem his so-called cowardice.