Yamum

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. ‘I’ll do anything I can to

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The two major events, the cutting down of the tree and the Molotov cocktail events show that he is easily lead. However, Alex was persistent enough to make Benoit succumb and they returned to survey the damage. Lucas also shows been taken advantage of easily as in the case when the police come to see what the Arabs had stolen and he did not tell them that it was he who took the saw out and cut through the middle of the bench. ’(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’. He Looking at the three major characters in this essay clearly shows how Lucas is a bored and gullible boy.

Benoit is fully aware that he can ask Alex to do almost anything and he even goes out of his way to protect Alex from being accused of all the wrongdoings in the story. ’ (p127) Most of the time Alex wants to be led; however, there are about two instances where Alex does play a leading role. It was a bit less than I had asked, but I didn’t say anything. ’ (p94) Benoit knew this and with his intelligent smooth-talking character, he manages to control Lucas. 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. On another occasion Alex again prevails upon Benoit when he desperately wanted to return to the scene of the cut tree, but Benoit declined. ’ (p284)

Alex is given to violence, a trait he does not depend upon others to acquire.

Approximate Word count = 753
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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