Larry Lasalle Heroes Essay

An Analysis of Francis Cassavant and Larry Lasalle’s Heroism and Anti- heroism By JN Tan

When push comes to shove, a hero will rise from the crowd, and prove why he or she is deserving of the title.

Heroes is a Young adult novel written by Robert Cormier. Set in the 1940s during the Second World War, it follows Francis as he seeks retribution for the events that happened in his dark past. The novel takes on the concept of heroism and anti- heroism, and also explores the grey area that lies between them. Both Larry and Francis are anti- heroes- both have a dark side, and are driven by guilt to commit deeds that would be their redemption. This essay explains how Cormier uses the characters’, appearance, language and behaviour to reflect themes

He gives them both Silver Stars – a medal given to soldiers who made acts of heroism during the war. Francis earns his star when he saves his patrol from a grenade: “Little Francis Cassavant. Falls on grenade and saves…… How many men were you willing to die for?” (p 49) Meanwhile, Larry earns his star when he saves an entire platoon form the enemy:“ Lasalle captures enemy, Saves fellow Marines” (p 48) This gives readers a reason to sympathize with the characters. This also gives Larry and Francis a common ground.

In a stereotypical way, Francis is portrayed a hero: flowing cape ( in his case a scarf), a hidden identity and a quest for justice. “I like to think that it flows behind me in the wind when I walk…” ( p 3) Strategically juxtaposing this on the first few pages of the book, along with the description that Francis hides his identity, suggests that the author wants his readers to think that Francis is a hero, likening him to the heroes like Superman and Batman that people have come to

He also treads along the theme of heroism and anti- heroism expertly, and making his readers question what is the essence of a hero. He is able to show how Larry and Francis embody heroism and anti- heroism, using their appearances, behaviours and use of language to reflect these two themes. Also, Larry and Francis are anti-heroes- guilt drove Francis to go back to Frenchtown and not his mere morals and ideals; Larry has his dark side which is truly despicable. It is also apparent that the common concept of heroism is flawed, and that there lies a grey area between heroism and anti-