Synopses & Reviews
Francis Joseph Cassavant is eighteen. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero.
Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life.
Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. -->
Synopsis
Francis Joseph Cassavant is eighteen. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero.
Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life.
Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. -->
About the Author
Robert Cormier (pronounced kor-MEER) lived all his life in Leominster, Massachusetts, a small town in the north-central part of the state, where he grew up as part of a close, warm community of French Canadian immigrants. His wife, Connie, also from Leominster, still lives in the house where they raised their three daughters and one son-all adults now. They never saw a reason to leave. “There are lots of untold stories right here on Main Street,” Cormier once said.
A newspaper reporter and columnist for 30 years (working for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and the Fitchburg Sentinel), Cormier was often inspired by news stories. What makes his works unique is his ability to make evil behavior understandable, though, of course, still evil. “Im very much interested in intimidation,” he told an interviewer from School Library Journal. “And the way people manipulate other people. And the obvious abuse of authority.” All of these themes are evident in his young adult classic and best-known book, The Chocolate War. A 15-year-old fan of his said, “You always write from inside the person.”
Cormier traveled the world, from Australia (where he felt particularly thrilled by putting his hand in the Indian Ocean) and New Zealand to most of the countries in Europe, speaking at schools, colleges, and universities and to teacher and librarian associations. He visited nearly every state in the nation. While Cormier loved to travel, he said many times that he also loved returning to his home in Leominster.
Cormier was a practicing Catholic and attended parochial school, where in seventh grade, one of his teachers discovered his ability to write. But he said he had always wanted to be a writer: “I cant remember a time when I wasnt trying to get something down on paper.” His first poems were published in the Leominster Daily Enterprise, and his first professional publication occurred while he was a freshman at Fitchburg State College. His professor, Florence Conlon, sent his short story, without his knowledge, to The Sign, a national Catholic magazine. The story, titled “The Little Things That Count,” sold for $75.
Cormiers first work as a writer was at radio station WTAG in Worcester, MA, where he wrote scripts and commercials from 1946 to 1948. In 1948, he began his award-winning career as a newspaperman with the Worcester Telegram, first in its Leominster office and later in its Fitchburg office. He wrote a weekly human-interest column, “A Story from the Country,” for that newspaper.
In 1955, Cormier joined the staff of the Fitchburg Sentinel, which later became the Fitchburg-Leominster Sentinel and Enterprise, as the city hall and political reporter. He later served as wire and associate editor and wrote a popular twice-weekly column under the pseudonym John Fitch IV. The column received the national K.R. Thomason Award in 1974 as the best human-interest column written that year. That same year, he was honored by the New England Associated Press Association for having written the best news story under pressure of deadline. He left newspaper work in 1978 to devote all his time to writing.
Robert Cormiers first novel, Now and at the Hour, was published in 1960. Inspired by his fathers death, the novel drew critical acclaim and was featured by Time magazine for five weeks on its “Recommended Reading” list. It was followed in 1963 by A Little Raw on Monday Mornings and in 1965 by Take Me Where the Good Times Are, also critically acclaimed. The author was hailed by the Newark Advocate as being “in the first rank of American Catholic novelists.”
In 1974, Cormier published The Chocolate War, the novel that is still a bestseller a quarter century after its publication. Instantly acclaimed, it was also the object of censorship attempts because of its uncompromising realism. In a front-page review in a special childrens issue of The New York Times Book Review, it was described as “masterfully structured and rich in theme,” and it went on to win countless awards and honors, was taught in schools and colleges throughout the world, and was translated into more than a dozen languages. I Am the Cheese followed in 1977 and After the First Death in 1979.
These three books established Cormier as a master of the young adult novel. In 1991, the Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association presented him with the Margaret A. Edwards Award, citing the trio of books as “brilliantly crafted and troubling novels that have achieved the status of classics in young adult literature.”
In 1982, Cormier was honored by the National Council of Teachers of English and its Adolescent Literature Assembly (ALAN) for his “significant contribution to the field of adolescent literature” and for his “innovative creativity.”
8 Plus 1, an anthology of short stories that have appeared in such publications as the Saturday Evening Post, The Sign, and Redbook, was published in 1980. In later years, many of the stories in the collection, notably “The Moustache,” “President Cleveland, Where Are You?” and “Mine on Thursdays,” appeared in anthologies and school textbooks. The collection also received the World of Reading Readers Choice Award, sponsored by Silver Burdett & Ginn, especially notable because young readers voted for Cormier to receive the prize.
I Have Words to Spend, a collection of his newspaper and magazine columns, was published in 1991, assembled and edited by his wife, Connie.
Robert Cormiers other novels include The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, 1983; Beyond the Chocolate War, 1985; Fade, 1988; Other Bells for Us to Ring, 1990; We All Fall Down, 1991; Tunes for Bears to Dance To, 1992; In the Middle of the Night, 1995; Tenderness, 1997; Heroes, 1998; and Frenchtown Summer, 1999. This novel won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction in April 2000. All his novels have won critical praise and honors.
In the Middle of the Night and Tenderness were short-listed for the Carnegie Medal in England, and Heroes received a “Highly Commended” citation for that same award, unique honors because the Carnegie is traditionally awarded to a British book.
Cormier's novels have frequently come under attack by censorship groups because they are uncompromising in their depictions of the problems young people face each day in a turbulent world. Teachers and librarians have been quick to point out that his novels are eminently teachable, valuable, and moral. His novels are taught in hundreds of schools and in adolescent literature courses in colleges and universities.
Though many of his books are described as written for young adults, in fact people of all ages read and enjoy Cormiers work. His themes of the ordinariness of evil and what happens when good people stand by and do nothing are treated seriously, and he never provides the easy comfort of a happy ending. Cormiers gripping stories explore some of the darker corners of the human psyche, but always with a moral focus and a probing intelligence that compel readers to examine their own feelings and ethical beliefs.
In an interview last year, Cormier was asked if he had accomplished what he set out to do at the beginning of his writing career. He answered with characteristic humility: “Oh, yes. My dream was to be known as a writer and to be able to produce at least one book that would be read by people. That dream came true with the publication of my first novel-and all the rest has been a sweet bonus. All Ive ever wanted to do, really, was to write.” That writing has left the world a legacy of wonderful books, a body of work that will endure.
Reading Group Guide
In Robert Cormiers unforgettable novels, an individual often stands alone, fighting for what is right-or just to survive-against powerful, sinister, and sometimes evil people. His books look unflinchingly at tyranny and the abuse of power, at treachery and betrayal, at guilt and forgiveness, love and hate, and the corruption of innocence. Cormiers gripping stories explore some of the darker corners of the human psyche, but always with a moral focus and a probing intelligence that compel readers to examine their own feelings and ethical beliefs.
The questions that follow are intended to spur discussion and to provoke thoughtful readers to contemplate some of the issues of identity, character, emotion, and morality that make Cormiers books so compelling.
1. The title of this novel could be meant ironically. In other words, this may be a book about “heroes” who are not true heroes. How many examples of such non-heroes do you see in the book?
2. The book begins with Franciss shocking statement that he “has no face.” In the context of the story, what are other metaphorical expressions about “face” that are relevant? How do these apply to Francis?
3. What is your definition of a hero? Francis feels that he is “a fake.” When he threw himself on the grenade it was not to save his comrades but to end his own life. Is a heroic act still heroic even if its done for the wrong reasons?
4. Francis says about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, “We had discovered in one moment on a Sunday afternoon that the world was not a safe place anymore.” (p. 79) What was the significance of that event for America? What happened as a result?
5. Forgiveness is a major theme in many of Cormiers novels. Trace how each of the three main characters forgive and are forgiven, and how they are affected when forgiveness is withheld and when it is granted. Which is harder-to forgive someone else or yourself?
Teacher Guide
NOTE TO TEACHERS
Robert Cormier's books look unflinchingly at tyranny and the abuse of power, at treachery and betrayal, at guilt and forgiveness, love and hate, and the corruption of innocence. His books, though, are most of all good stories, full of suspense and surprises and dramatic action as his characters struggle--sometimes unsuccessfully--to find an appropriate response to the existence of evil.
The discussion topics in this guide are meant to help in your exploration of Robert Cormier's provocative novel Heroes by providing insights into theme and character, clarifying points in the plot, and analyzing the larger psychological, literary, and sociological aspects of the novel. The questions are designed to appeal to a variety of reading levels and tastes. You may want to try them all, or you may want to focus on those that are most interesting and appropriate for your group.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
In this lean and powerful novel, Robert Cormier quietly, remorselessly, probes the nature of heroism as it is reflected through the remains of a young life forever shattered by a terrible act.
Francis Joseph Cassavant is 18. He has just returned home from World War II, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero. Francis's ghastly disfigurement gives him the anonymity he needs for his burning "mission": to avenge the rape of his high school girlfriend by killing her seducer, Larry LaSalle, the youth leader whose movie-star good looks and easy charisma had made him a hero to the kids of Frenchtown.
But behind this romantic obsession, Francis is driven by his own guilt for doing nothing to stop the rape, a guilt which has driven him to seek instant death in the war by throwing himself on a grenade--only to survive as a faceless and unwilling hero.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Robert Cormier (pronounced kor-MEER) has always lived in Leominster, Massachusetts, a small city in the north-central part of the state. He and his wife, Connie, also from Leominster, still live in the house where they raised their three daughters and one son--all adults now--and they see no reason to leave. "There are lots of untold stories right here on Main Street," Cormier says.
A newspaper reporter and columnist for 30 years (working for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, and the Fitchburg Sentinel), Cormier is sometimes inspired by news stories. What makes his works unique is his ability to make evil behavior understandable, though, of course, still evil. "I'm very much interested in intimidation," he told an interviewer from School Library Journal. "And the way people manipulate other people. And the obvious abuse of authority." All of these themes are evident in his young-adult classic and best-known book, The Chocolate War. A 15-year-old fan of his said, "You always write from inside the person."
TEACHING IDEAS
Suggested Topics for Discussion
1. The title of this novel could be meant ironically. Irony is a literary expression or style marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. In other words, this may be a book about "heroes" who are not true heroes. How many examples of such non-heroes do you see in the book?
2. Cormier uses an intriguing style of gradual revelation to tell his story, revealing who, what, and where by giving hints and clues that raise questions in our minds and build up the whole picture. The first chapter is the exposition, the part of the book that gives everything we need to know for the story to move forward. Look for phrases that first suggest the time and place, and that Francis has been in the army, has been wounded in a war, has been known but is now in hiding, has loved Nicole, and has come back for a dark purpose.
3. Cormier uses the same gradual and indirect revelation to introduce us to Francis's character. What clues do you find in the first chapter that show his kindness toward other people, his gentleness, his love of romance, his forgiving nature, his attitude toward his deformity, his tendency to obsession and singleness of purpose?
4. The book begins with Francis's shocking statement that he "has no face." In the context of the whole story, what are other metaphorical expressions about "face" that would be relevant here? For instance, what is the broader meaning of "to lose face," to be "faceless," to "face up" to something or to "face down" somebody? How do these apply to Francis?
5. Dr. Abrams jokes about Francis's disfigurement. Is this a good thing? Do you think it is kindly meant? Or deliberately cruel? How does Francis feel about it? When he is walking on the street, he notices that people glance at him in surprise and turn away quickly. How do you react when you see a disabled or disfigured person? How do you think they would like you to react?
6. In contrast to his usual subtlety, Cormier lets Francis describe with shocking directness and detail what it feels like to have no face. What do you imagine he looks like? Since Cormier was a great movie fan in his youth, the image of Francis could relate to horror film sources, perhaps the bandage-swathed Claude Raines in The Invisible Man. Look up a picture of the actor in makeup and compare with your own mental picture of Francis.
7. One of the first things Francis does in Frenchtown is to go to St. Jude's to pray. What do you think he means when he refers to the fragrance of old incense as "the odors of forgiveness"? Why does he pray for the man he is going to kill--and then feel shame for that prayer? Why doesn't he ask God to forgive his guilt for the rape? What else would he lose if he gave up that guilt?
8. What is your definition of a hero? Francis feels that he is "a fake" because he wanted to die but was "too much of a coward to kill myself." When he threw himself on the grenade it was not to save his comrades but to end his own life. Is a heroic act still heroic even if it's done for the wrong reasons?
9. The drunken Arthur Rivier says, "We weren't heroes. We were only there," and Francis remembers that Eddie Richards in the midst of the battle had cried out, "What are we doing here anyway?" Why do heroes so seldom feel heroic to themselves? At the end of the book, who does Francis say are the real heroes and why? Do you agree?
10. As Francis tries to fall asleep, he recites "the names of the guys in his platoon." Men in war often bond closely with the members of their group as they face danger together. Have you ever felt such an emotional link to other people as you faced something difficult together--on a sports team, for instance, or in the cast of a play? Describe how it felt.
11. "Everyone wanted to go to war in those days to defeat the Japs and the Germans," remembers Francis. We know this was not Francis's real motivation for joining the army. Do you suppose it was the real reason for most people, or are there other personal factors that might have been behind their decisions? Are there any good reasons to justify war? What actions by an enemy would make you willing to fight? (For a teacher's guide on The Images of War, click here.)
12. Francis says about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, "We had discovered in one moment on a Sunday afternoon that the world was not a safe place anymore." What was the significance of that event for America? What happened as a result? Ask your grandparents or another older person what they remember of their feelings on that day and share it with the group.
13. A pun on "The Wreck Center" is that it is the center of the wreck of the lives of the three main characters. How is it appropriate for the story that this building has been tainted by a rejected lover's revenge shooting? What details dramatize its reputation as "a bad-luck place," and how does Cormier foreshadow what is to happen there?
14. Concealed and revealed identity is a theme in many of Cormier's books. In Heroes, Francis is very anxious to conceal his identity from his former friends and neighbors. Why? What does he tell us about his early life that shows that he has always had a tendency to hide? In what crucial episode does this prove to be the flaw in his character that leads to all his troubles?
15. Another case of concealed identity is the mystery surrounding the glamorous Larry LaSalle. Why do you think he has left show business and come back to a small town like Monument? What hints does Cormier give us that there is something wrong behind the movie-star facade?
16. Even at gunpoint Larry is unrepentant when Francis accuses him of the rape. He defends himself with the memory of his kindness to the kids at the Wreck Center, and asks, "Does that one sin of mine wipe away the good things?" Francis counters, "That's a question you should ask Nicole." What do you think she would answer? What would you answer?
17. Forgiveness is a major theme in this and in many of Cormier's novels. Trace how each of the three main characters forgive and are forgiven, and how they are affected when forgiveness is withheld and when it is finally granted. Which is harder--to forgive someone else or yourself?
18. Typically a novel is built around conflict, the suspense-creating tension that rises to a peak of excitement and is resolved at the climax of the story: Francis's mission to kill Larry; and his need to be freed from his own guilt about the rape. What is the climactic scene for each of these conflicts: How does Larry cheat Francis of his victory? How does Nicole heal him? Why is he not more disturbed when she lets him know she doesn't want to see him again?
19. Before he confronts Larry, Francis begins to "close doors to the future" by burning the addresses of Dr. Abrams and Enrico. Why does he do this, and what does he mean when he says "I have my own method of disposal"? In the end, after he has met with Nicole, what does he think about that lets us know he has reopened those doors to the future? Do you think Cormier has left a tiny bit of uncertainty about this? What words support your answer?
Teaching Ideas prepared by Patty Campbell, author of Presenting Robert Cormier and 1989 winner of the American Library Association's Grolier Award for distinguished service to young adults and libraries.
REVIEWS
x "Cormier is once again on top of his game. . . . His story will hold fans from first page to last."
--Starred, Publishers Weekly
x "Once again, Cormier has written a suspenseful novel that addresses serious questions of concern to most young adults."-- VOYA
"Powerful and thought-provoking."-- School Library Journal
"Emulating the sparse, sturdy prose of Francis' literary idol, Ernest Hemingway, Cormier sketches the dark underbelly of a brief historic time in shadows that will follow the readers long after the story has ended."-- Booklist
"The pacing is meticulous, the mood is tense, and the climactic confrontation between Francis and Larry is charged with ethical ambiguity. . . .Young adults struggling with their own moral choices may be sparked to discussion by the novel's ambivalent conclusion."-- The Bulletin
FURTHER READING
Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen[0-440-22838-7]