Monday, March 16, 2020

Yamum essays

Yamum essays Lucas is a bored, gullible and foolish boy who unscrupulously allows himself to become emtowiled in events through the story. Strangely in the two major events, which dominate the story, it is Benoit, not Lucas or Alex, who is the more scheming character. The actual motives to cut the one tree left in the Cercle and to devise the Molotov cocktails that damaged the derelict building meant to house the Jews comes from Benoit! Equally noteworthy, and contrary to what readers might think of Alex being a troublemaker, Alex actually does very little scheming and stupidly follows Benoit. Benoit is the smooth-talking intelligent extremist right from the start. The very first time readers see him at the gun shop and one of the first things he does is to talk the shopkeeper into selling Lucas the gun. This shows straight away that he is a smooth-talking person. Right at the beginning Benoit tells Lucas, We want to act the way he acted, for the good of our country. (p74) Benoit puts ideas in Lucas head, as he wants Lucas to look up to him as a role model. Ill do anything I can to help you.(p74) Benoit then later ropes Lucas into the two major events. Benoit always thinks ahead. He fixes Lucas chainsaw and soon asks Lucas to cut down the tree for him in return. Benoit also thinks ahead before talking to Lucas as is apparent when Lucas says that the tree is on private property and Benoit stays clam I realised he had prepared thoroughly for this conversation. He had foreseen my objections.(p166) When Lucas tries to get out of cutting the tree, Benoit keeps on urging Lucas They fix my chainsaw for me and when they ask me for something, I tell them to get lost. (p168) Throughout the story Lucas is described and seen as a bored, gullible and foolish boy. The two major events, the cutting down of the tree and the Molotov cocktail events s ...