Heroes – Robert Cormiere

1. Revision Session on the Presentation of Character Heroes – Robert Cormiere

2. Francis Joseph Cassavant • Introduced enigmatically – he has no face • His injuries shock us and we engage with the novel because of them • His scarf and bandages are strong motifs throughout the novel • 1st person narrative allows us to get closer to Francis and to ‘tune in’ to his inner monologue • He prays for the man ‘I am filled with guilt and shame that I have just prayed for the man I am going to kill’ – he is a complex character

3. Francis… • ‘It would always be Nicole Reynard’ – he is in love • ‘I silently pledged my love and loyalty forever’ • Flashbacks provide us with the back story on Francis and Nicole (writer’s technique) • Flashbacks further build up Francis’ identity – Larry LaSalle, the American soldiers in the war (and the German soldiers he killed) • His dreams exaggerate the horrors he went through – he is traumatised by war

4. Francis… • He was a lonely child: ‘The loneliness of the tenement drove me to the Wreck Centre’ • Francis is a fatalist character – he informs us that he will never have plastic surgery • He promises Nicole that ‘I will never leave you,’ and he doesn’t, but he does betray her. He is weak in the presence of Larry LaSalle • Francis is gentle and cannot pull the trigger on Larry. His humanity shows through at the last minute • We are left wondering whether he will kill himself or start life over again

5. Francis: the ‘hero’ • Despite being awarded the Silver Cross, he does not think he is a hero, because he joined the army to die • He believes he fell on the grenade to achieve this • He suffers from the guilt and shame typical of that which accompanies a Catholic education • He does his best to ensure that he has no future – ‘closing the doors to the future – by burning the contacts of his friend from the hospital in England • How is Francis presented? – Remember: visual images/language, speech and actions

6. Larry LaSalle • ‘Larry LaSalle had the broad shoulders of an athlete and the narrow hips of a dancer. He was both.’ • Stereotypical comic strip character? • Teacher? • Friend? • Has a questionable past - had ‘gotten into trouble in New York City’ – but people were ‘dazzled’ by him, so ignored the rumours • He controls everyone. Turns insecure children into ‘stars’ and Francis becomes Nicole’s ‘champion’ • He gives them what they want – he takes what he wants

7. Larry … • One of the first men in Frenchtown to join up for the war – he becomes another kind of hero • His actions ‘begin’ the war for us, the reader – he is the ‘Pied Piper’ and the other men and boys follow him • He graces the ‘silver screen’ and when he returns he ‘smiled the old movie star smile’ • He continues to ‘groom’ the kids at the Wreck Centre – ‘most of all I want to be with the Wreck Centre gang’

8. Nicole The presentation of Nicole was the focus of one of the questions in the June 2012 paper For information on this character, download the BBC Bite Size Revision notes on the tredenglish site. The other question was on revenge – to what extent is the story one of revenge?

9. Larry… • Francis says, ‘We always did what Larry LaSalle told us to do’ – his name is powerful • He manipulates Francis into leaving Nicole in his clutches • At the end of the novel ‘he is pale…eyes sunk into the sockets…and he seems fragile now’ • Larry says: ‘Everybody sins, Francis. The terrible thing is that we love our sins. I love the sweet young things’ • He is without remorse and pities himself – ‘My legs are gone. No more dancing for me, Francis. No more sweet young things. No more anything.’

10. Arthur Rivier • Not a main character, but is important as shares Francis’ feelings about the horrors of war • Takes Francis under his wing when he returns to Frenchtown, taking him to the veterans’ club – making him one of the men • He is the only one to recognise Francis – through his voice – yet agrees to keep his identity secret • Francis finds him drunk and crying one night – beneath his ‘normal’ exterior, he too is traumatised and broken by the war • He says all the soldiers were the same: scared. They were not heroes; they were ‘just there’ • Francis repeats this in the last chapter

11. Exam writing on character • Always refer back to the question – this is the best advice you can take now • If the question asks how a character is presented, refer to: • What they say (writer’s choice of language and techniques) • How they behave/what they do • Appearance • Relationships with other characters • Remember to explain and explore quotations or references you make – what is the effect on the narrative, on the character and on the reader?

12. Any Questions?