Revision Booklet English Heroes 595525

Heroes Revision Booklet

Revision booklet- Heroes By Robert Cormier

Kelsey Bunting


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MAIN CHARACHTER STUDY: Francis Cassavant: Francis is an eighteen-year-old veteran of World War II. During the war he fell on a grenade and, as a result, is now horribly disfigured. His face is badly burned and there is little left of his features. He wears a fatigued (i.e. army) jacket, a white scarf tied around his face, and a baseball cap pulled down low. He also carries a duffel bag containing a gun. Francis is a man on a mission. He wants to kill his childhood hero, Larry LaSalle. It eventually transpires that Larry sexually abused Francis’ girlfriend, Nicole, and at the time he felt powerless to stand up to him. Ever since, he has felt responsible for what happened to Nicole. Initially he was so guilty and felt so responsible that he contemplated suicide, but he chose to the army instead, hoping that he would be killed in action. Having survived the war he has decides to live long enough to get revenge, after which he plans to kill himself. Francis suffers from a very poor self-image. In his childhood he was very shy and a bit of a loner. He didn’t have a best friend and couldn’t get himself into any of the gangs in Frenchtown. He was also too shy to speak to Nicole for many years. He enjoys a brief happy period under the tutelage of Larry LaSalle, who works hard to instil a sense of self -worth in Francis. This is so successful that he finally gets the courage to ask Nicole out. It is ironic that it is Larry LaSalle who destroys the happiness he has helped Francis achieve. Francis accepts responsibility for what happens to Nicole, unquestioningly. He suffers from


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extreme feelings of guilt and depression. He finds it hard to accept that there can be anything good left in him, and is constantly self-depreciating, comparing himself to others. He seems to rely on others, especially Nicole, for his own happiness. In the end, Nicole is able to rebuild her life, but Francis cannot. He is alone in the world and has no hope of a good future for himself. In this respect he is a negative person. Francis does have very strong moral principles, which he tries to live by. He is also keen to please others. His reason for wanting to kill Larry LaSalle is not for personal glory – he doesn’t even tell Nicole what happened – rather he wants to put right a wrong he feels he did. However misguided he may be, Francis always acts with good intentions, having reasoned out his actions


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Nicole Renard : Nicole is presented as an innocent victim of other people’s evil. She is abused by Larry LaSalle, while Francis stands by and does nothing. Afterwards she feels that Francis has betrayed her. This event robs Nicole of her childhood. Before this she was open and friendly, and it was she who made the most effort to establish a relationship with Francis. This said, there is nothing improper about Nicole. It is some years after she meets Francis that she actually starts to date him, and their relationship is based mostly on friendly conversation. Her innocence at this time is emphasised by her love of butterscotch bits, while her goodness is shown through the work she does with the nuns. As Nicole grows older, her good looks and talent as a dancer mark her out as attractive. Francis comments on her appearance and is also aware of how closely Larry LaSalle holds her when they dance. Her reliance on Francis to protect her is perhaps her downfall. When she is attacked by Larry LaSalle she is violated and nothing can restore her innocent state. Larry Lasalle : Larry LaSalle is a character, who appears to have two sides . On the one hand he is a respectable and charismatic youth worker, who is sensitive and dedicated. He comes from a glamorous show business background - although the mystery surrounding his arrival in Frenchtown is the first hint of the darker side of his character. He is popular with children and adults alike for the work he does in the Wreck Centre and his heroic actions in the war. Although he is a little larger than life, Larry LaSalle’s public image is hugely likeable.


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He cares about all the children and is careful to include them all in the life of the centre. He works tirelessly to provide for them and to make them happy. His relationship with Francis before the assault on Nicole is very close. He looks after him and helps him to develop into a strong and confident young man. Given that Francis is an orphan, Larry LaSalle is a father figure who Francis can turn to for emotional . When Francis returns to visit Nicole, years later, he is hoping that things can be the same between them. Nicole, however, is mature enough to realise that the damage can never be reversed. While Francis thinks revenge will put things right, Nicole finds the strength to look forward to the rest of her life and to concentrate on herself. She has forgiven Francis for his part in what happened, even though he will never forgive himself. She suggests that Francis do something positive to help himself, but it appears to be too late to save him.


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Arthur Rivier : Although he is not one of the main characters Arthur Rivier is significant as he shares Francis's feelings about the horrors of the war. Arthur takes Francis under his wing when he returns to Frenchtown, introducing him to the St Jude Club veterans, and making him one of the ‘men’ rather than the boys. He is the only one to recognise Francis, although it takes him a while. He calls him a hero, and recalls that Francis has his own page in the scrapbook of town heroes. However, when Francis asks him to keep his identity secret, he agrees. Arthur appears to be functioning normally. However, one evening Francis finds him collapsed, drunk and crying in the alley. Arthur is finding it difficult because nobody will talk about the war. He says that all the soldiers were the same: scared. He says none of them were heroes, they were 'just there'. It is important enough for Francis to repeat it in the very last chapter.

MAIN THEMES :


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Heroism : He brings out the best in them and they adore him. Even at the end he is still making Francis feel better about himself, and prevents him from becoming a murderer. Is this more or less heroic than his war record? Francis is something of a peacetime hero as well – by becoming table tennis champion and beating LaSalle he becomes an icon to the other children. The scrapbook kept by the ‘Strangler’ at the St. Jude’s club contains newspaper clippings about all the ‘heroes’ of Frenchtown, including both LaSalle and Francis. The other men regard it as something of a symbol, something to be proud of, but Francis is ambivalent. The Silver Star is the only medal awarded for ‘heroism’, we are told. Both LaSalle and Francis have been awarded this medal, for saving the lives of their fellow soldiers. LaSalle does so by taking out a machine gun nest, Francis by falling on a grenade – the grenade that destroys his face. Is it significant that one wins it by committing an act of violence, whereas the other wins it by taking the damage himself? It impresses the townsfolk – but Francis wants to remain anonymous.


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War : Francis dreams of the German soldiers that he killed, but in his dreams they cry ‘Mama’ and he sees them as boys, like him ‘too young to shave’. In real life they didn’t have time to speak, but the dream emphasises a common idea in war literature – that the soldiers on both sides often have more in common with each-other than with their commanders. Throughout Francis never questions whether the war itself was just – he describes it at the end as the ‘good war’. However, the depiction of violence, and its effects, is quite brutal. The clinical and grotesque description of Francis’s facial injuries at the beginning of the novel is a good example of this. War is presented as horrifying and terrifying, with a massive effect on those who fight in it, but Cormier is not concerned with the politics of the war, nor does he make Heroes a pacifist novel.


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Innocence/the end of childhood : Francis notes that ‘We had discovered in one moment on a Sunday afternoon that the world was not a safe place anymore.’ This was not just their discovery, but the discovery of the whole United States, that they could not remain in isolation from the rest of the world. Larry LaSalle’s rape of Nicole in the Wreck Centre is the end of innocence for both her and Francis, who waits in the dark knowing but unable to acknowledge what is happening to her. It is also symbolic of the end of their innocent belief in goodness – something that the war ended for many people. Francis going off to war with a faked age on his birth certificate is a significant step out of childhood – like many soldiers who signed up underage, he is forcing the issue. He notices that other soldiers – even the Germans – are also very young.


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Love : Francis’s love for Nicole is highly romanticised – his first meeting with her is compared to a knight kneeling at the feet of a saint. He can barely get up the courage to speak to her, although they do eventually go out, and their relationship is sweet and innocent. Later, in the army, he is motivated by both his love for her which has never gone away, and his guilt about his failure to help her when she was attacked. During the war his love and desire for forgiveness turns into the only thing that makes his life worthwhile. From the first chapter where he says ‘it would always be Nicole Renard’ to the penultimate one where he tells us the reason he went to see Nicole was to see if she could still be his girl ‘which could maybe change my mind about the gun in my duffel bag.’ This is verging on the obsessional, and Francis realises as he talks to Nicole that the love they had ended a long time ago.


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Forgiveness : Francis is intent on taking revenge on Larry LaSalle, rather than forgiving him. He does not offer any forgiveness: when LaSalle asks if his one evil act can erase all the good he did, Francis coldly tells him to ‘ask Nicole.’ However, he does allow LaSalle to redeem himself a little by letting him take his own life. Francis is driven by the need to find forgiveness for having let Nicole down by leaving her alone with LaSalle. The guilt of the action, and the fact that she blamed him for it, are almost overwhelming. He wants to die, and closes ‘doors to the future’ because he doesn’t feel he deserves either recognition as a hero or to live. The theme of forgiveness is set in the context of Nicole and Francis’s Catholic school, where they are taught by nuns. After the rape, Francis climbs the steeple to throw himself off, but cannot, at least partly because it is the ‘greatest sin’.


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Concealment and revealment : Francis arrives in Frenchtown with his face wrapped up and concealed. On one level he’s hiding his injuries from sight, to stop them horrifying others like they did the small boy in London who cried. The idea of a face wrapped up in bandages recalls horror films of the early part of the twentieth century. It may deliberately recall the image of the Invisible Man. Larry LaSalle also has a secret concealed in his past – the mysterious reason as to why he had left his showbiz career to become a youth worker. We never find out what this reason is, but it is implied by LaSalle’s referring to ‘sweet young things’ in the plural in his last encounter with Francis, that it was for something similar to his rape of Nicole. In the beginning this mystery seems attractive, adding to his ‘glamour’. Cormier uses foreshadowing extensively to create tension in the novel – such as when Francis tells us in the first chapter that he has ‘just prayed for the man [he is] going to kill.’ Then he gradually reveals different morsels of information, about Francis’s war experience and the pre-war life in Frenchtown.

CHAPTER SUMMARIES :


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Chapter 1: Francis Cassavant returns to his hometown of Frenchtown. His face has been horribly disfigured by the war: his nose, eyebrows and teeth are gone, and his cheeks are not healing. He wears a bandage, a white silk scarf and a baseball cap to cover his face to prevent people seeing his face and recoiling, and also as a disguise. Using some of his back pay from his time in hospital he rents a room from a woman he used to run errands for: she doesn’t recognise him. He goes to church and prays, including a prayer for Larry LaSalle, and reveals that he plans to kill him. He recalls being in hospital and his friend joking he could go out with a blind girl. We learn that Francis is a decorated war hero and that he is still in love with his childhood sweetheart, Nicole Renard. Chapter 2 : Francis re meeting Nicole for the first time, in seventh grade, at school. Although he has no with her, she becomes friends with Marie LeCroix, a girl who lives in the same building as Francis. He is too shy to talk to her but enjoys seeing her come and go.


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Chapter 3 : Francis walks around Frenchtown, and visits Nicole’s old house. He knows she and her family are gone, because a fellow soldier told him during the war. When he goes to the house, the woman living there has no idea where the Renards have gone. That night, he dreams of the war, and of when he killed two German soldiers, the day before a grenade ruined his face. The chapter finishes with his new ‘mission’: to get LaSalle when he returns to Frenchtown. Chapter 4 : Francis bumps into another Frenchtown veteran, a man a few years older than him, Arthur Rivier. He does not recognise Francis, but takes him to the men’s club and buys him a beer, where he meets the other ex-soldiers who have returned to Frenchtown.


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Chapter 5 : Francis visits the ‘Wreck Centre’. This had been a town hall until a bride and groom were machine gunned at their wedding reception – then it became a ‘bad luck place’. After being left empty for years it was converted to being a Recreation Centre. A charismatic and handsome youth leader, Larry LaSalle, held dance, music and craft classes at the centre. Francis spent most of his free time there. Nicole ed the dance classes. Chapter 6 : Francis has been in town almost a month and has become a regular fixture at the men’s club. One afternoon he asks if anyone knows when LaSalle is coming back. The veterans toast LaSalle and the barman brings out the scrap book of his exploits. Arthur recognises Francis but accepts his wish to remain anonymous to the others.


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Chapter 7 : Francis re LaSalle teaching him table tennis. He did this to boost Francis's confidence and Francis became very good at table tennis. LaSalle organised a weekend of events, with a table-tennis tournament on the Saturday and a musical on the Sunday in which Nicole stars. Nicole speaks to Francis to wish him luck and he finally gets over his nerves. He wins the tournament and then plays LaSalle, to satisfy the other kids. He beats LaSalle, as LaSalle lets him win, but only Francis knows this. Nicole calls him her champion and invites him to the party she's throwing after the musical the next day. But the next day Pearl Harbor is attacked, the bombing by the Japanese that led the USA into the war. The news shocks everyone and the party breaks up. The mood in the town changes. Chapter 8 : In the present Francis finds Arthur drunk, slumped in an alley, obviously traumatised by the war. Arthur says he wants to talk about the things that nobody ever usually talks about, about how they were scared when they were fighting. Arthur says that none of them were heroes. They were just boys: homesick and scared. “Nothing glamorous, like the write-ups in the papers or the newsreels. We weren’t heroes. We were only there…”


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Chapter 9 : LaSalle was one of the first men to enlist, the Monday after that weekend. The Wreck Centre closed. Francis and Nicole start going to the movies together. LaSalle makes the news when he captures an enemy machine gun nest and saves his entire platoon; he gets a Silver Star and is Frenchtown’s first big hero. Chapter 10 : Francis re being treated in England. Initially he didn’t cover his face, but on a trip to London his wounds made a small boy cry. In the present he burns the addresses of the doctor and his friend from treatment, so that he has no future, apart from killing LaSalle.


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Chapter 11 : He re LaSalle’s homecoming in 1943. The whole town, especially the kids, cheered him home. After a whole town party in the City Hall, LaSalle takes the teenagers to the Wreck Centre, re-opened for the occasion. On the way Francis promises Nicole he’ll never leave her. They all dance, play music and table-tennis. One by one the kids leave. When only LaSalle, Francis and Nicole are left, LaSalle tells Francis to go. Nicole says he should stay, but he does what LaSalle tells him. He leaves them dancing in the dark but does not leave the building. After the record ends he hears noises, but does not move. He realises LaSalle is sexually assaulting Nicole but does nothing. Then Nicole runs out of the hall, crying and her blouse torn. She sees him and he realises she feels betrayed. She leaves and Francis stays hidden in the dark. LaSalle does not know what Francis has seen. Chapter 12 : Four days after the rape Francis manages to see Nicole. He is helpless to know what to say; she is angry and blames him. She tells him to go away. He climbs the church steeple, intending to kill himself, but can’t, not while soldiers all over the world are dying ‘Noble deaths. The deaths of heroes’. The next day he changes the date on his birth certificate and goes to enlist


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Chapter 13 : In the present Francis hears his landlady and her neighbour gossiping: LaSalle has returned.

Chapter 14 : Francis goes with his gun to LaSalle’s apartment. He is very ill and a shadow of his former self, but welcomes Francis. LaSalle still has the trick of making Francis feel good about himself. Francis denies he is a hero – he says he fell on the grenade because he wanted to die, not save the other soldiers. He reveals he wanted to die because of LaSalle’s rape of Nicole. LaSalle tells him he couldn’t have stopped him anyway. Francis brings his gun out. LaSalle says that he loves ‘sweet young things’. This makes Francis think that Nicole was not the only one he has attacked. Francis tells LaSalle that he used to be their hero, because 'You made us better than we were'. LaSalle asks if one sin can wipe out all the good things he’s done. He is not afraid of the gun, and shows Francis his own, telling him he plans to kill himself. He tells Francis that whether he knew it or not he fell on the grenade to save his comrades. Francis leaves. Once he is outside he hears a single gunshot from upstairs. LaSalle has killed himself.


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Chapter 15 : Francis goes to the convent to try to trace Nicole. Her family left town, but he gets her address. He plans to see her then kill himself. Chapter 16 : He goes to visit Nicole. She is still in the final year of school. She is changed, but tells him she is sorry for blaming him. She is recovering, but slowly. He still loves her, but though she feels affection for him, she doesn’t want to see him again. She tells him to write about his experiences in the war. Chapter 17 : In the railway station Francis reflects on the ‘heroes’ and all the scared kids who went to war. He thinks of writing about them, and finding the number of the doctor who wants to reconstruct his face. He goes to catch a train as the book ends.

USEFUL QUOTES :


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Chapter 1 – page 1 “My name is Francis Joseph Cassavant and I have just returned to Frenchtown in Monument and the war is over and I have no face.” -Establishes the setting -Introduces narrator in first person -Surprising statement creates mystery Chapter 1 – page 1 “Oh, I have eyes… but no ears to speak of, just bits of dangling flesh. But that’s fine, like Dr Abrams says… He was joking, of course.” -Conversational style of address -Creates a close bond between the reader and the narrator Chapter 1 – page 1 Description of Francis’s physical injuries. -Described in a matter-of-fact way -Creates sympathy in the reader -Makes the reader want to know why he looks like this Chapter 1 – page 2 “But not having much success” and “I don’t blame them” -Francis has low self-esteem and lacks confidence -Presented as single-sentence paragraphs to draw attention to them Chapter 1 – page 3 “This was proof that the scarf and the bandage were working in two ways: not only to hide the ugliness of what used to be my face, but to hide my identity.” -Why is Francis trying to hide -creates mystery


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-Francis believes he is ugly- shows his confidence isssues Chapter 1 – page 4 “I thought of Nicole Renard, realizing I had not thought of her for, oh, maybe two hours.” -First mention of Nicole -Suggests Francis may be in love with her -Makes the reader ask questions Chapter 1 – page 4 “She had always been generous when I did her errands and her tips paid for my ten-cent movie tickets at the Plymouth on Saturday afternoons.” -Francis knows Mrs Belander from before the war -In a first reading, the Plymouth seems unimportant


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Chapter 1 – page 4 “At that moment, I knew that I was really anonymous, that I wasn’t Francis Joseph Cassavant anymore but a tenant in Frenchtown.” -Why does Francis want to be anonymous? -Contrasts with the opening sentence Chapter 1 – page 5 “I was home again in Frenchtown. I thought of the gun hidden away in my duffel bag and knew that my mission was about to begin.” -What is Francis’s mission? -Why does he have a gun? -Creates mystery and suspense Chapter 1 – page 5 Francis briefly mentions his dead father and mother, and younger brother. -This is one of the few times they are mentioned in the novel -Why doesn’t Francis talk about them more often? -He wants to forget the past Chapter 1 – page 6 “Then I am filled with guilt and shame, knowing that I just prayed for the man I am going to kill.” -Francis frequently feels guilt and shame -This section emphasises his religious feelings -Statement creates dramatic tension


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Chapter 1 – page 7 “‘You’re a big hero,’ he said. ‘A Silver Star hero.’” -This is the first reference to being a hero in the novel -The reader wonders why Francis has been awarded the Silver Star Chapter 1 – page 7 “I am not a hero, of course, and I turn away in disgust.” -Francis has low self-esteem -Why doesn’t he believe he is a hero? Chapter 2 – page 9 “Was the look that ed between us that first day a wish of my imagination?” -Emphasises Francis’s lack of self-esteem Chapter 2 – page 12 “I never knew love could be so agonising.”


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-This is ironic for Francis, his love for Nicole does become agony Chapter 2 – page 12 “I wondered whether she’d been waving at Joey LeBlanc or me.” -Again, Francis lacks the confidence to believe that Nicole could be attracted to him

Chapter 3 – page 14 “The Great Gatsby which I’d heard was a great novel… We drank vin rouge like the heroes in a Hemingway novel.” -Francis refers to classic American Literature -This is the first mention of his interest in reading and writing -Suggests an autobiographical link with Cormier Chapter 3 – page 15 -“All kinds of rumours about her Francis. She began to stay at home… She was like… a hermit.” -Adds to the mystery of Nicole Renard -Shows that Francis did end up going-out with Nicole but that something must have gone wrong Chapter 3 – page 15 Francis explains that he ed the army at fifteen. -This makes the reader ask lots of questions e.g. -Why did he enlist? -Why wasn’t he missed? -How did he feel about this? Chapter 3 – page 16 “I can keep going on a minimum of food because I


lost my appetite somewhere only to sustain myself for -Suggests that Francis has -Doesn’t reveal why he has

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in and eat now a while.” given up hope no appetite

Chapter 3 – pages 18 – 20 Francis dreams about the war in -This suggests Cormier’s attitude to war and what is expected of soldiers. -It contrasts with the romantic and heroic descriptions we might expect -It is a dramatic and horrifying description Chapter 3 – page 18 “Not like the war movies at the Plymouth, nobody displaying heroics or bravado” -Francis repeats the idea that he wasn’t heroic or brave Chapter 3 – page 19 “I explode into wakefulness… my bursts of gunfire killed the soldiers quickly, no exploding head, no body cut in two… I saw how young they were, boys with apple cheeks, too young to shave. Like me.” -Francis explains that his dream is more graphic than reality -He creates a link between himself and the German soldiers Chapter 3 – page 20 “The next day, the grenade blows my face away.” -We finally find out what happened to Francis, however he never tells us this part of the story – we only find out from others later on. -Made dramatic by being a single-sentence paragraph in simple language Chapter 3 – page 20


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“Ignore it all, I tell myself, and count your blessings.” -Francis is being ironic -He has no pity for himself -He is committed to carrying-out his mission Chapter 4 – page 21 “I wanted to be like them, these heroes, fighting the Japs and the Germans, going off to battles on land and sea.” -Francis used to have a romantic idea about war -Later, he learns that they weren’t heroes they “were only there” (page 47) Chapter 4 – page 22 “Big Boy… is now sleek and hard with no soft edges.” -The war has transformed Big Boy physically -There are many ‘then and now’ comparisons within the novel showing the effect of war Chapter 4 – page 24 “I am not the hero he thinks I am, not like the other veterans here in the St Jude’s Club” -Again, Francis says that he is not a hero -He compares himself with everybody else for a negative effect -Francis feels that he doesn’t belong here Chapter 5 – page 25 “It’s a bad luck place, people had said.A place of doom, others added” -The first description of the Wreck Centre suggests the tragedy that will take place there. -The words are highlighted by being in singlesentence paragraphs.


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Chapter 5 – page 26 “The men worked frantically… but the work was haphazard.” -The Rec. Centre was part of the ‘New Deal’ programme during the Depression -Unemployed people were paid by the Government to work on projects like this Chapter 5 – page 27 “A tall slim man stepped into view, a lock of blond hair tumbling over his forehead, a smile that revealed dazzling movie-star teeth.” -First description of Larry LaSalle -Emphasises his good looks -Francis clearly ires him Chapter 5 – page 27 “He was most of all a teacher.” -As a teacher, Larry has a responsibility to all the children in his care -Larry is also described as an athlete and a dancer – everyone in Frenchtown is impressed by these qualities -Francis’s language shows his iration for Larry Chapter 5 – page 28 “I had never been a hero in such places, too short and uncoordinated for baseball and too timid to the gangs.” -Another reference to being a hero -Francis focuses on the negative qualities -‘Timid’ suggests he is afraid Chapter 5 – page 28 “I had no best friend.” -Other than Nicole and Larry, Francis never really connects with anyone else -which


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emphasises the tragedy of Nicole’s rejection and Larry’s betrayal Chapter 5 – page 28 “I discovered Ernest Hemingway and Tom Wolfe and Jack London and rushed home with an armful of books.” -Francis shows his interest in literature


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-These writers are very masculine – their books are about adventure -Reading separates Francis from other people Chapter 5 – page 28 “Home was now the tenement where I lived with my Uncle Louis… He took me in after my father died.” -This is striking because Francis doesn’t describe these events -He chooses to forget memories from the past that might distract him from his mission Chapter 5 – page 29 “He tamed the notorious schoolyard bully ‘But he still beats kids up in the school yard,’ Joey LeBlanc observed.” -Francis recounts Larry’s achievements but he suggests that they were only cosmetic (on the surface) Chapter 5 – page 29 “There were dark hints that he had ‘gotten into trouble’ in New York City… The air of mystery that surrounded him added to his glamour.” -This is the first hint that something is wrong with Larry in the flashback narrative -Francis uses the language of celebrity to characterise Larry’s appeal to the people Chapter 5 – page 30 “She seemed to exist in a world of her own, like a rare specimen, bird-like and graceful, separate from the rest of the dancers.” -Francis describes Nicole using a simile -Again, he suggests that she is unique -She is separate – just like him


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Chapter 5 – page 30 “Joey LeBlanc angered me when he said he could feel that old doom hanging over the place.” -inforces the idea that something terrible is going to happen Chapter 6 – page 31 “I watch for Larry LaSalle, for that Fred Astaire strut and the movie-star smile.” -In the present, Francis’s description of Larry has become an insult


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-He sees him as fake and insincere Chapter 6 – page 31 “This is the pause between one life and another.” -Francis is talking about Arthur, Armand and Joe, but he could be talking about himself -His life has paused since he returned – he will only move on once his mission is complete Chapter 6 – page 32 Francis describes a pause in the conversation and the war injuries of his acquaintances -Everybody seems to be getting on with their lives, but Francis recognises that they are still scarred by their injuries e.g. “there’s a sudden flash of what – terror? bad dreams?” Chapter 6 – page 34 “‘You deserve to be recognised, Francis,’ he whispers. ‘You’re a goddam hero… How many men were you willing to die for?’” -Arthur reveals a secret that Francis has not told us yet – why don’t we know? -Why is Francis ashamed of his actions? Chapter 7 – page 36 “He found me sitting alone on the back steps of the Wreck Centre, looking at nothing in particular. There was nothing in my world that was worth looking at.” -Emphasises Francis’s isolation -Follows the death of his father Chapter 7 – page 39 “Jealousy streaked through me as Larry LaSalle tossed her in the air… pressing her close, their faces almost touching, their lips only an inch or


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so from a kiss.” -Already, there is jealousy in the triangular relationship between Larry, Francis and Nicole Chapter 7 – page 39 “His eyes shone with iration when I made an unusual shot.” -Francis seeks Larry’s iration -Table tennis represents the first thing that Francis has ever enjoyed, apart from reading


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Chapter 7 – page 39 “I’m not supposed to play favourites, Francis, but you and Nicole are special to me.” -Larry makes it clear that there is a special bond between the three characters -He shouldn’t have favourites but he breaks this ‘rule’ Chapter 7 – page 40 “For the first time in my life, a tide of confidence swept through me.” -Nicole has said she likes to watch Francis play -Francis highlights this moment by the use of paragraphs Chapter 7 – page 40 & 41 “Her words filled me with both delight and agony, delight at her invitation and the instant agony of jealousy, the way she had casually said his name… ‘Larry’, spoken off-hand as if they were more than teacher and pupil.” -Why does Francis feel jealous? -Is he jealous because Nicole is close to Larry? -Is he jealous Larry likes Nicole? Chapter 7 – page 45 “My eyes sought Nicole, found her joyous face, hands ed together, as if in prayer, eyes halfclosed as if making herself an offering to me.” -Francis gains confidence from beating Larry -Again he describes Nicole using religious imagery – he makes her into an idol Chapter 8 – page 46 “I want to talk about it, my war… And your war, too, Francis. Everybody’s war. The war nobody wants to talk about.”


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-Arthur Rivier shows that people are trying to ignore the effects of the war -They are not addressing their problems – instead they hide their emotions Chapter 8 – page 46 & 47 “The scared war… God, but I was scared, Francis.” -Arthur re the terror he felt -He describes a war that Francis can relate to – Francis was also terrified Chapter 8 – page 47 “No heroes in that scrap-book, Francis. Only us, the boys of Frenchtown. Scared and homesick and cramps in the stomach and vomit. Nothing glamorous like the write-ups in the papers or the newsreels. We weren’t heroes. We were only there…” -This shows Cormier’s attitude to war -Arthur describes the reality of war in graphic details Chapter 9 – page4 “A thrill went through me – a wartime secret in Frenchtown! Should we be on the look-out for spies?” -As a child, Francis shares the excited romantic anticipation of the war -In reality, mainland America was very secure


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Chapter 9 – page

50 “We cheered our fighting forces and booed and hissed when Hitler came on the screen, his arm always raised in that hated salute.” -The newsreel footage becomes an entertainment -Civilians saw the war as dramatic and exciting Chapter 9 – page 51 “‘How about writing books? Didn’t you win Sister Mathilde’s medal for composition?’ ‘Oh, I could never write a book.’ ‘I think you could.’ -Similar to Cormier’s own life -Nicole has confidence in Francis -This will be returned to at the end Chapter 9 – page 53 “We were stunned to suddenly see Larry LaSalle featured in the Movietone News. He was unshaven, face gaunt and drawn, eyes sunk deep into their sockets.” -Larry is the first ‘victim’ of the war -The war is having a physical effect on him Chapter 10 – page 55 “When I study myself in the mirror, I don’t see me any more but a stranger slowly taking shape.” -The war has changed Francis as a person -He is gradually becoming someone new -This transformation symbolises what has happened to Francis Chapter 10 – page 55 “The truth is that I don’t care whether I heal or not. Because I know that it doesn’t matter.” -Francis has lost all hope


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-He is not asking the reader for sympathy – he no longer cares about himself Chapter 10 – page 55 “I knew what he meant by disposal because I had planned my own method after my mission was completed.” -Francis implies that after killing Larry he will kill himself -He appears to be committed to ending his own life Chapter 11 – page 57 “Lt. Lawrence LaSalle… holder of the Silver Star for acts of heroism… was coming home on furlough.” -The introduction to this chapter builds up anticipation -Larry’s heroism will contrast with his actions at the end Chapter 11 – page 57 “A moment later, Larry LaSalle stood on the platform, resplendent in the green uniform… He smiled, the old movie-star smile.” -Larry is described like the typical movie war hero -Movie heroes are only actors, however, and their performance is a fraud -Reference to “movie-star smile” reminds us he is a fake Chapter 11 – page 58 “Fred Astaire still in his walk but something different about him. His slenderness was knifelike now, lethal.”


Kelsey Bunting

-The movie-star image is contrasted with one of violence -Larry is a killer and Francis implies he is dangerous Chapter 11 – page 58 “Larry was our hero, yes, but he had been a hero to us long before he went to war.” -Francis reminds us that Larry is ired by everyone in Frenchtown -This helps to reinforce his unforgivable behaviour towards Nicole later in the chapter Chapter 11 – page 58 “His eyes moved to Nicole and I saw the rush of affection on his face.” -There is a sexual chemistry between Nicole and Larry -Does Francis misinterpret Larry’s feelings towards Nicole? Chapter 11 – page 59 “‘I’m glad to be home, even if it’s only for a little while. And most of all I want to be with the Wreck Centre gang.’ Once again he made us feel special.” -There is something suspicious about the fact that a grown-up wants to spend his time with children -Francis is providing clues for the reader Chapter 11 – page 60 “‘I’ll buy you one like that someday,’ I whispered in her ear, my voice trembling a bit, betraying my love for her. Squeezing my hand, she leaned towards me and her warm cheek rested against mine.”


Kelsey Bunting

-Francis is describing the perfect evening between them both -He indicates that he wants to be with her forever -This emphasises the tragedy of this chapter Chapter 11 – page 60 “Once, Nicole whispered: ‘Stay close to me,’ as we resumed our parade… a thrill went through me like a jolt as I pulled her close and said: ‘I’ll never leave you.’ -This is a lie – Francis leaves her at the worst possible moment -As Francis is telling the story, he must realise how ironic this promise is – it helps to build dramatic tension Chapter 11 – pages 61 – 62 Quotations that create dramatic tension: -“The day had not been long enough for me.” (61) = doubt -“His face was flushed and his eyes shone with excitement.” (62) = sexual tension -“The words sounded false as I said them and I realised they were Larry’s words, not mine.” (62) = Larry is in control of Francis


Kelsey Bunting

Chapter 11 – page 62 “I really wanted to stay, wanted to be a part of them.” -Reminds us that Francis has never been intimate with anyone -Suggests his suspicion that something is wrong -Echoed by Nicole, who doesn’t want him to leave


Kelsey Bunting

Chapter 11 – page 63 “I made my way towards the front door but drew back, didn’t leave, stationed myself in the small foyer… miserable in my aloneness, wanting to be dancing with her, the way Larry LaSalle was dancing with her, holding her close…” -“Miserable in my aloneness” – sums up Francis throughout the novel -He knows something is wrong but is impotent to do anything Chapter 11 – page 63 “I heard a sigh and a sound that could have been a moan and a rustle of clothing.” -This is Francis’s description of the rape -Did he know what was happening? -How much does the reader have to guess about what has happened? Why? Chapter 11 – page 63 “How long did I stand there listening?... I couldn’t breathe, my body rigid, my lungs burning… What were they doing?” -Francis’s description suggests he knows what they were doing -Rhetorical questions suggest he knows the answer but still can’t face the truth -He is terrified of the truth because he has done nothing and still feels guilty Chapter 11 – page 63 “But I knew what they were doing – the thought streaked through my mind so fast it could hardly be acknowledged.” -Francis is forced to it the truth to the reader -He confesses to us – is the whole novel a


Kelsey Bunting

confession of his sin before he kills himself? Chapter 11 – page 64 “I recognised in her eyes what I could not deny: betrayal. My betrayal of her in her eyes.” -Francis feels ashamed because he did not stop Larry from hurting Nicole -He believes that she blames him -Repetition emphasises this Chapter 11 – page 64 “It’s amazing that the heart makes no noise when it cracks.” -The chapter ends with a dramatic image -This contrasts with how Francis had been feeling throughout the chapter Chapter 12 – page 67 “I could only stand there mute, as if all my sins had been revealed and there was no forgiveness for them.” -Francis is using Catholic imagery -He is punishing himself, taking all the blame away from Larry -He then turns to the church for help Chapter 12 – page 68 “Saying a prayer before committing the worst sin of all: despair… I thought of my mother and father – could I disgrace their name this way?” -Suicide is absolutely the worst sin that a Catholic can commit -Francis is ashamed at the thought of letting his parents down Chapter 12 – page 69 “I could not die that way.Soldiers were dying with


Kelsey Bunting

honour on battlefields all over the world. Noble deaths.The deaths of heroes. How could I die by leaping from a steeple?” -The theme of heroism returns again -Is Francis trying to be a hero or is he trying to die? -Notice the use of sentence structures for effect Chapter 13 – page 70 “I always thought I would spot Larry LaSalle on Third Street, would see him striding along like Fred Astaire, bestowing that movie-star smile on people that he met.” -Francis reminds us of how fake Larry is by repeating the movie-star image -There is no sense of iration in the way he says this Chapter 13 – page 71 “I have heard enough. Larry LaSalle has returned to Frenchtown. And I know where to find him.” -Use of single-sentence paragraphs -Use of present tense -Builds up dramatic tension Chapter 14 – page 72 “The gun is like a tumour on my thigh.” -Simile -Shows that Francis feels what he is about to do is wrong Chapter 14 – page 72 “I am calm. My heartbeat is normal. What’s one more death after the others in the villages and fields of ?The innocent faces of the two young Germans appear in my mind. But Larry LaSalle is not innocent.”


Kelsey Bunting

-Suggests Francis has killed more people than we know about -Rhetorical question suggests his guilt Chapter 14 – page 73 “He is pale, eyes sunk into the sockets like in the newsreel at the Plymouth, and he seems fragile now, as if caught in an old photograph that has faded and yellowed with age.” -Larry has changed physically -He is like the other war veterans in that the war has had a major impact on his appearance -Does Francis feel pity for him? Chapter 14 – page 73 “‘Don’t be afraid to show your face, Francis. That face, what’s left of it, is a symbol of how brave you were, the Silver Star you earned…’” -Larry is still trying to teach Francis -Is Larry’s physical appearance a symbol of what he has done? Chapter 14 – page 74 “A deep sadness settles on me, as if winter has invaded my bones.” -Simile -Winter is a dead time – to what extent is Francis dead inside? -He is saddened by ing the past and the Wreck Centre Chapter 14 – page 74 “Why did it have to turn out like this? Maybe your sins catching up with you.” -The italics represent Francis’s inner voice -They show what he wants to say but can’t say Chapter 14 – page 75


Kelsey Bunting

“I had always wanted to be a hero, like Larry LaSalle, but had been a fake all along. And now I am tired of the deception and have to rid myself of the fakery.” -Francis views his actions as a fraud – he is not really a hero -This quote shows that he has realised Larry is a fake -Francis confesses to Larry that he is not a hero Chapter 14 – page 75 “‘I went to war because I wanted to die… I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed.” -Francis’s explanation twists his feelings into self-accusation – he believes himself a coward despite everything he has done Chapter 14 – page 76 “‘Oh, Francis. You’re too hard on yourself. You didn’t do anything you should feel guilty about, that should make you want to die. You couldn’t have stopped me, anyway, Francis. You were just a child.’” -Larry tries to take the blame away from Francis -He tries to make him realise it wasn’t his fault -Does Larry feel guilty? Chapter 14 – page 76 “‘The sweet young things, Francis. Even their heat is sweet…’ Sweet young things. Had he done it before?” -It is suggested that Larry has done this before -Larry sees the girls as treats or gifts – he tries to excuse his behaviour Chapter 14 – page 77


Kelsey Bunting

“‘Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?’” -The most important quote in the novel! The nature of heroes is the main theme in the novel -Cormier leaves it up to the reader to decide, but clearly the answer is yes -Francis avoids answering the question Chapter 14 – page 77 “‘If I want one thing, it would be to have you look at me again the way you did at the Wreck Centre. When I was the big hero you say I was.’” -Why does Larry care what Francis thinks? Chapter 14 – page 78 “‘Let me tell you one thing before you go, Francis. You would have fallen on that grenade, anyway. All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades.’Still trying to make me better than I am.” -Larry recognises that Francis is a true hero -Typically Francis rejects this – he has no faith in himself


Kelsey Bunting

Chapter 14 – page 79 “The sound of a pistol shot cracks the air. My hand is on the doorknob. The sound from this distance is almost like a ping-pong ball striking the table.” -This simile is used in an ironic way – table tennis made Francis feel special and is connected to Larry -Now he calls it ‘ping-pong’ – a game not a sport not requiring any skill (page 37) Chapter 15 – page 80 “The sound of the doorbell echoes unendingly through the long corridors of the convent. Waiting, I step back and look at the faded redbrick exterior of the building and the black forbidding shutters at the windows.” -Creates mystery – why is Francis here? -Sense of exclusion – ‘echoes’, ‘forbidding’ -Change of tone from the drama of the previous chapter Chapter 15 – page 81 “‘Has she gone away to become a nun?’ I ask. The possibility dashes my hopes of ever seeing her again. -Francis reveals his reasons for being here -This is the first time Francis has ever expressed a sense of hope, but, as usual, he takes a pessimistic view Chapter 15 – page 82 “‘I hope your face heals soon, Francis’…I wonder if it’s a special sin to lie to a nun.” -Francis lies about his intentions -He is obsessed with the idea of sin


Kelsey Bunting

Chapter 16 – page 83 “For one lightning moment, I don’t recognise her… Now her hair is cut short and combed straight and flat… Her cheek-bones are more prominent and her eyes seem to be bigger, I look at her as if studying a painting in a museum.” -Nicole has been physically transformed by her experiences -Francis still sees her as a work of art Chapter 16 – page 84 “‘This is nothing… It’s not as bad as it looks…’ Still lying but not to a nun.” -Francis differentiates between his lies, showing his feelings about religion -He implies that he has thought about his “proper method of disposal” (chapter 10) Chapter 16 – page 84 “‘Did to me?’What day?‘I shouldn’t have said those things to you that day… You weren’t to blame for what happened’” Chapter 16 – page 85 “‘Don’t say it, Francis. I know what he was. For a while there he made me feel special. Made us all feel special.’” -Describes Larry’s effect on the children -Contrasts the public and private life of Larry Chapter 16 – page 85 “‘Are you going to write? I always thought you’d be a writer.’ ‘I don’t know.’ Which is the truth, for a change.” -Provides a biographical link with the author -Provides hope for Francis


Kelsey Bunting

Chapter 16 – page 85 “To see if maybe you could still be my girl. Which would maybe change my mind about the gun in my duffel bag.” -This is Francis’s hope – that he and Nicole could still be together -How realistic is this hope -Francis’s inner thoughts shown by the italics Chapter 16 – page 86 “‘Who was I going to tell...? He was a big war hero.’” -Again, Cormier challenges the idea of what makes someone a hero Chapter 16 – page 87 “‘When the doctor fixes up my face, I’ll send you a picture.’ ‘Promise? ‘Promise,’ I answer, although I know that I will never keep that promise and she probably doesn’t expect me to.” -This is the last of the promises that are broken i.e. what Francis promises Nicole in chapter 12 -It is another clue that Francis intends to kill himself. Chapter 16 – page 88 “‘I don’t know what a hero is anymore, Nicole.’I think of Larry LaSalle and his Silver Star. And my own Silver Star, for an act of cowardice. ‘Write about it Francis. Maybe you can find the answer that way.’” -The main question of the novel is ‘what is a hero?’ -Ironically, Francis does write about it – does the novel provide any answers?


Kelsey Bunting

Chapter 17 – page 89 “I what I said to Nicole about not ing who the real heroes are. I think of my old platoon… We were only there… Who were not only there but who stayed, did not run away, fought the good war.” -Francis recalls Arthur’s words -Cormier considers what was asked of the young soldiers and suggests Francis really is a hero Chapter 17 – page 89 “And didn’t receive a Silver Star. But heroes anyway. The real heroes. Maybe if I’m going to write as Nicole hopes I will, I should write about them.” -Is the book dedicated to the people Francis considers real heroes? -He sees his medal as a fraud – is it because Larry won one as well as wasn’t a hero? CONTEXT :


Kelsey Bunting

Heroes was published in 1998. Robert Cormier said that he was inspired to write the book by the 50th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day landings of World War II, and the desire to recognise the heroic acts of ordinary people. Background Robert Cormier (1925-2000) was an American novelist, best known for his many young adult novels, the most famous one being The Chocolate War. He was born and brought up in Leominster in Massachusetts, in the French-Canadian section of the town called French Hill. It is this place which is loosely fictionalised in Heroes as Frenchtown. He was in his last years at high school when the USA ed the war – making him roughly the same age as Francis Cassavant in the novel. Cormier had poor eyesight though, and so could not the army. He studied and worked instead. Pearl Harbor The United States were brought into the Second World War as a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. It was a surprise attack by the Japanese on an important US naval base. Pearl Harbor is on one of the islands of Hawaii, which is part of the USA. Many US battleships and aircraft were destroyed, and over 2,000 people were killed. The attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack made public opinion in the USA switch overnight to pro-war patriotism. Unlike in Europe there was no conscription, but many Americans volunteered to go and fight overseas.

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