Heroes- Themes

Heroes- Themes

Heroism
1. Larry LaSalle is the hero of the Wreck Centre.
  1. He brings out the best in the children.
  2. 'Larry LaSalle tamed the school yard bully'
  3. 'He lured awkward girls into ballet'
  4. 'You're all stars'
  5. Always seen as hero by the kids.
2. Silver Star
  1. Larry LaSalle won a Silver star by saving his platoon
    1. Commits an act of violence - damages others to stop himself getting hurt.
  2. Francis jumped on a grenade and saved his fellow soldiers
    1. Took damage to himself - to stop others getting hurt.
3. The concept of heroism
  1. Arthur doesn't consider himself a hero
  2. 'We weren't heroes. We were only there.'
    1. It was merely chance that they were in the war - they didn't act like heroes.
    2. Just by being there they were heroes, they were scared but did what they had to do which doesn't make them feel like heroes within themselves.
4. Larry/Francis
  1. Francis has always considered Larry to be a hero for his actions
  2. Larry decides that Francis jumped on the grenade because he is a hero not that he wanted to die.
    1. Francis doesn't feel like a hero b/c of his true intentions for falling on the grenade but Larry disagrees.
      1. "You would have fallen on that grenade, anyway. All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades."
  3. 'Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?'
    1. Francis explains how he had always wanted to be a hero like Larry but now sees Larry as a fake.
  4. Francis considers himself a coward even when he didn't commit suicide, Larry is the complete opposite.
  5. Larry tries to be Francis' hero even at the end by not letting Francis be a murderer.
5. No one talks about Larry and the rape, or the war or Francis's true intentions. Is Cormier suggesting we need heroes even if they're fake? Heroes are never revealed for what they really are.
  1. Francis beating Larry at table tennis is a fake win but Francis is still seen as a hero and gives others self confidence - does this show that even fake heroes can have a positive effect on society?
6. Nicole can be viewed as heroic b/c she takes the burden upon herself & starts a new life, she even forgives Francis for his betrayal.
  1. Nicole doesn't cause her parents heartache and selflessness is truly heroic.
7. Arthur also carries burden of war - selflessness is truly heroic.
War
1. Francis goes to war, Larry LaSalle goes to war, Arthur goes to war...
2. Francis still endures bad dreams after the war
  1. 'Too young to shave.'
3. 'They don't talk about the war, our war. The scared war.'
4. Arthur shows how soldiers who weren't physically harmed still have trouble dealing with the war. Arthur is able to see 'normal' but inside he feels different showing that people are not always what they seem.
5. It could be said that the war is what caused Larry to rape Nicole. War obviously makes Arthur unstable and others as they don't talk about the war.
  1. Horrors of war may have made him not care how he hurts other or lack of women at war may have heightened his sexual desire.
  2. LARRY & THE EFFECTS OF WAR: There were "dark rumours" in New York that could be anything. Larry truly seems to care for the children as he puts so much effort into looking after so many of them. Larry may have had some dark thoughts previous to the war but could never have acted upon them due to his caring nature. The war caused his ideas of affection and friendly love with lust and rape, he may have seen the rape as a affection way of showing he cares about her, explaining why he isn't sorry - he feels he is justified.
Innocence
1. 'We had discovered in one moment on a Sunday afternoon that the world was not a safe place anymore.'
  1. Naive
2. Francis leaves Nicole and Larry in the Wreck Centre completely innocent to the sounds coming from them, innocent to the danger she's in.
3. Nicole's and Francis' innocence is stolen when Larry returns
4. Nicole stops wearing white and 'cuts' her hair to demonstrate no more innocence
5. Francis maintains an innocent view on the world as he goes through London with his face uncovered.
6. Nicole will not see Francis after their last meeting which closes the door on the innocence they once shared.
  1. Their relationship was innocent.
7. People signing up for war were not prepared for the horrors leaving them mentally scared and night terrors.
8. Francis tries to maintain naive view of how him and Nicole can have a happy ever after.
  1. But Larry's sexual lust breaks their innocent relationship.
Love
1. Francis is deeply in love and highly romanticises Nicole
  1. "It will always be Nicole Renard."
2. Larry is clearly in love with Nicole, Francis is innocent to this
  1. 'As if they were more than teacher and pupil'
  2. 'Pressed her close, their lips nearly touching...'
3. Larry is in love with all the children in the Wreck Centre and is enthusiastic for their talents
  1. Larry is loving towards the kids to make them more confident and even makes Francis feel better despite him threatening to kill him.
    1. Larry describes sexual desire - a darker side to love.
      1. "We love our sins. We love the things that make us evil."
4. When at war Francis is motivated by his love for Nicole and his guilt for failing to save her.
  1. Jumped on grenade for suicide or b/c of his brotherly love towards fellow soldiers?
5. Everyone seems to need someone to worship or love to make life seem better. For Francis this is Nicole and for the children it is Larry.
6. Francis obviously loves his family as he won't jump off the steeple for the fear of putting sin on the family name.
7. Nicole loves her parents which is why she keeps the rape a secret and her parents don't question why she wants to move out of love for their daughter.
8. Larry describes feelings for 'sweet young things' but this is lust not love.
  1. He does seem to show paternal love for Francis as he helps him gain confidence by losing table tennis, tells him rape is not his fault and spares Francis having to kill him.
9. Patriotic love - men go to war, women take over their jobs for their country.
Forgiveness
1. Francis seems intent on revenge for Larry's actions and doesn't offer him forgiveness. Is this because Larry is guilty of a crime or b/c Francis needs to get rid of his own guilt?
2. Francis's need for Nicole's forgiveness fuels his wish to die b/c Nicole blamed him for what happened.
3. At their Catholic school Francis and Nicole are taught about forgiveness, stopping Francis from throwing himself of the steeple (mainly).
4. Larry almost gives Francis means to forgive himself as he couldn't have stopped Larry for he was just a child.
5. Nicole regrets blaming Francis - almost forgiving him but Francis needs to learn to forgive himself.
  1. Francis needs to forgive himself and the war just puts more guilt upon him because he kills the innocent German boys.
    1. Larry offers Francis to 'leave everything behind' in the apartment so he can leave his guilt and begin to forgive himself.
6. Nicole does not seek revenge on Larry, manages to forgive, accept and move on with her life.
  1. Francis seeks revenge and thus becomes filled with negativity unable to move on. Cormier enforces forgiveness to be a good thing.
    1. When Nicole 'forgives' him Francis's duffel bag becomes 'comfortable' showing his burden of guilt has been lifted.

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