Most people are afraid of death. Some people are afraid of dying; others are terrified of the act of dying. However, the fear of death is not natural; usually little children don't even know what death is. This type of fear can originate from early childhood, especially in brutal environments. Facing a terrifying experience can cause psychological trauma, resulting in fears and nightmares. When we are little we have our family who takes care of us and makes our fears manageable. But what if parents are unable to do so? What if they think it's better for their child to face fears alone? Ernest Hemingway in The Nick Adams Stories provides an example of the consequences of parents' refusal 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. Since those early years Nick has been afraid of the unknown and the indefinite which is an indication of death: “He wasn't yet afraid of anything defined. But he was starting to get very scared. (14). Then he realizes that one day he too will die. Here the child first realizes what death is and then gets scared. However, his parents do not help Nick overcome those fears earlier, which leads to Nick's obsession with death later in his life. In “Indian Camp,” where Dr. Adams takes his son to observe a woman in labor, Nick has his first encounter with birth and death. Watching his father perform a very rational but ferocious surgery and watching the woman suffer in pain leads to psychological trauma for Nick. Although Nick is trying “not to see what his father is doing” (19), D...... center of card ......the low color of the house indicates Nick's cowardice” (32). When Captain Paravicini tells Nick that he is very brave, he replies: “No… I prefer to be a stinker. I'm not ashamed of it." “In addition to associating yellow with cowardice, most scholars agree that Nick's mind provided 'the yellow house in place of the sensory details of his injury and death'” (Quick, 32). People's phobias can be due to different reasons, most times these come from something they have experienced or someone has told them (second-hand experience). In Nick's case it was both. Furthermore, the intensity of the events that happen in his life is extraordinary. The consequences can be seen in Nick's profound trauma and psychological disability which causes considerable distress and fear of death. The state Nick is in can be very harmful and can even have a lethal effect on him.