Most people are afraid of death. Some people are afraid of dying; others are terrified of dying. However, fear of death does not occur naturally; usually little children don't even know what death is. This type of fear can originate in early childhood, especially in brutal environments. Facing a horrible experience can lead to psychological trauma, which causes fears and nightmares. When we are little, we have our family to take care of us and make our fears manageable. But what happens if the parents are not able to do this? What if they think it’s better for their child to go through their fears alone? Ernest Hemingway in The Nick Adams Stories gives an example of the consequences of parents refusing to guide their child through his early and difficult experiences. Nick Adams is afraid of death due to his violent environment and lack of parental support. Nick's childhood began in the woods of Michigan where his father took him fishing and hunting. From his earliest years, Nick was afraid of the unknown and the indefinite, which is a sign of death: “He was not yet afraid of anything specific. But he was very afraid. (14). Then he realizes that he too will die one day. Here the child first realizes what death is, then becomes afraid. However, his parents do not help Nick overcome these fears earlier, leading Nick to obsession with death later in his life. In “Indian Camp,” where Dr. Adams takes his boy to observe a woman in labor, Nick has his first encounter with birth and death. Watching his father perform a very rational but fierce surgery and seeing a woman suffer in pain leads to Nick's psychological trauma. Although Nick tries "not to see what his father is doing" (19), D...... middle of paper ...... the light color of the house signifies Nick's cowardice" (32 ). When Captain Paravicini tells Nick that he's very brave, he responds, "No...I'd rather stink." I'm not ashamed of it. "In addition to associating yellow with cowardice, most researchers agree that Nick's mind created 'the yellow house in place of the sensory details of his injuries and death'" (Quick , 32). The phobias that people have can be due to different reasons, most of the time these come from something they have experienced or someone has told them about (second hand experience). In Nick's case, it was both. Additionally, the intensity of the events unfolding in his life is tremendous. The consequences can be seen in Nick's profound trauma and psychological disability which causes significant distress and fear of death. The condition Nick is in can be very harmful and can even have a fatal effect on him..