Most may argue that Uncle Axel’s decision to kill Alan is justified, but evidence points to the contrary. Alan’s death is not justified because of the affect it had on his wife, he was not given the benefit of the doubt, and his killer was motivated by suspicion instead of fact. Uncle Axel was well aware of how devoted Anne was to Alan. Yet, he still took it upon himself to kill him, driving Anne to insanity. Before she took her own life, her sister had announced that she was “beside herself and hysterical” (100). In the end, Uncle Axel ended up taking two lives instead of one; he practically tortured Anne before she chose to join her husband. Likewise, Uncle Axel admits that he was in the know about Alan’s knowledge of the group and their …show more content…
In the past, Alan has shown himself to be unreliable in concealing Blasphemies. He challenges this idea by not reporting any of the group members to the inspector. With this in mind, it is highly possible that as Anne’s character had changed when she fell in love, so did Alan’s. Moreover, if Alan did write a “deposition… to be opened in the event of his death…” (119) that exposed the group of telepaths, something similar to Anne’s suicide note, they would have an ample amount of time to escape before being caught. It would be so far away from Waknuk it would be almost impossible to be captured. Furthermore, during his time as a sailor, Uncle Axel has seen multiple different groups of people; each with their own various opinions and beliefs. This has given him a better understanding and appreciation for the diversity amongst “humans”. Despite all this, he is quick to judge Anne for her decision to “[make] herself [Alan’s] slave and doormat” (117). Uncle Axel has proven himself to be one of the only citizens of Waknuk that is accepting of David. It is out of character for him to discriminate Anne for her choice to marry