Read the excerpt from paragraph 1.

Étienne contented himself with nodding his head. He was in front of the shaft, in the midst of a vast hall swept by currents of air. He certainly considered himself brave, but he felt a disagreeable emotion at his chest amid this thunder of trains, the hollow blows of the signals, the stifled howling of the trumpet, the continual flight of those cables, unrolled and rolled at full speed by the drums of the engine.

How does the excerpt shape the theme of the passage?

It supports the idea that Étienne allows himself to be held back by fear.

It supports the idea that Étienne is trying to conceal his fear of failure.

It supports the idea that Étienne learns that fear is an irrational emotion.

It supports the idea that Étienne is struggling with a fear of the unknown.