"L’Imânus had three men, who, like himself, were full of resolution, and capable of anything. These men were Iloisnard, called Branche-d’Or, and the two brothers Pique-en-Bois. L’Imânus took a dark lantern, opened tho iron door, and carefully inspected the three stories of the bridge châtelet. Hoisnard Branche-d’Or was as implacable as I’lmanus, having had a brother killed by the Republicans."
The counterrevolutionaries really like their secretive nicknames, don’t they? We have two brothers working together, and one—like L’Imânus—who’s lost a sibling to the war. But just because someone kills even your brother doesn’t necessarily mean you’re motivated to get revenge in this plotline; look at Halmalo and the gunner from the boat chapters. So while anybody can be described as “full of resolution” and “capable of anything,” (even Gauvain probably has some resolution, he’s resolved…to…find a ladder and rescue the kids?), Hoisnard (I think? Wiktionary has a typo one way or the other) is even more “implacable,” in the same way L’Imânus is. And this kind of being implacable makes them, in particular, willing to do very violent things.
"When the sun appeared, its rays illumined, in the forest, eight battalions, their swords by their sides, cartridge boxes on their backs, bayonets in their guns, ready for the assault; on the plateau a battery of cannons, with ammunition wagons, cartridges and boxes of grapeshot; in the fortress, nineteen men loading blunderbusses, muskets, and pistols, and in the three cribs, three sleeping children."
Not only do the republicans have an enormous advantage in terms of the size of their army, but even waiting for the ladder, they also have an important technological advantage. (L’Imânus has a rural “herdsman’s horn” and is tearing up newspapers, which…could be a symbol of literacy, progress, something? to use for his weapons.) This sunrise is symbolic, probably.
And on neither side—like Michelle at the beginning or Tellmarch in the middle—are three sleeping children. Not the kind of individuals whose agency can have much bearing on epic civil war plots. But they’re here, all the same.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-06-30 12:27 am (UTC)The counterrevolutionaries really like their secretive nicknames, don’t they? We have two brothers working together, and one—like L’Imânus—who’s lost a sibling to the war. But just because someone kills even your brother doesn’t necessarily mean you’re motivated to get revenge in this plotline; look at Halmalo and the gunner from the boat chapters. So while anybody can be described as “full of resolution” and “capable of anything,” (even Gauvain probably has some resolution, he’s resolved…to…find a ladder and rescue the kids?), Hoisnard (I think? Wiktionary has a typo one way or the other) is even more “implacable,” in the same way L’Imânus is. And this kind of being implacable makes them, in particular, willing to do very violent things.
"When the sun appeared, its rays illumined, in the forest, eight battalions, their swords by their sides, cartridge boxes on their backs, bayonets in their guns, ready for the assault; on the plateau a battery of cannons, with ammunition wagons, cartridges and boxes of grapeshot; in the fortress, nineteen men loading blunderbusses, muskets, and pistols, and in the three cribs, three sleeping children."
Not only do the republicans have an enormous advantage in terms of the size of their army, but even waiting for the ladder, they also have an important technological advantage. (L’Imânus has a rural “herdsman’s horn” and is tearing up newspapers, which…could be a symbol of literacy, progress, something? to use for his weapons.) This sunrise is symbolic, probably.
And on neither side—like Michelle at the beginning or Tellmarch in the middle—are three sleeping children. Not the kind of individuals whose agency can have much bearing on epic civil war plots. But they’re here, all the same.