Identify a hero, heroine or villain from at least two texts on your comparative
course. Compare the ways in which aspects of your chosen characters’ thoughts and
actions fascinated you. Support your response with reference to your
chosen texts. (40)
The characters I will be discussing are Bill Furlong, who is the hero of Small Things Like These and Warden Norton, who is the villain in The Shawshank Redemption. Both of these characters fascinated me throughout the respective texts, through their thoughts and actions.
Bill Furlong is a man who has created a good life for himself despite the hardship of his childhood. He was born to an unmarried mother, who was saved from the local convent by a Protestant woman, named Mrs Wilson. His mother’s family had disowned her but Mrs Wilson allowed her to live and work in the big house along with the infant Bill. He now owns a coal business and is married with five daughters. I was intrigued by the character of Bill from the very beginning as he appeared to be a kind and compassionate man who wanted to help others, as he gave his loose change to the Sinnott boy, despite his wife being critical of him for doing it.
Despite being a villain, I was fascinated by the character of Norton from the beginning of the film. Norton appeared to be a conscientious and religious man when we first meet him. He hands bibles to the inmates and tells them to live by the bible. Despite this, on the first night, an inmate is beaten to death by Hadley, one of the prison guards. It is clear that Norton would be aware of the killing and nothing was done about it. This fascinates me, how he can claim to be a religious man but condone the killing of an inmate.
As the novel progresses, we see Furlong battling with his past. He does not know who his father is and there is something that is bothering him throughout the novel. Despite having a good life, he is not content and seems unable to relax. His relationship with his wife becomes strained as a result of his uneasiness and I was surprised that he found it so difficult to move on with his life and live in the present.
In contrast to Furlong, Norton has no such issues as he sets up scheme after scheme in the prison, in order to make more and more money for himself. We see how easy it is for him to bribe officials, use inmates to make money and evades taxes through Andy’s clever accounting techniques. It’s interesting to see how unscrupulous this man is, despite appearing to be a man of God. It is ironic that he hides his dirty deeds in a safe with a picture hiding it, which reads ‘his judgement cometh and that right soon.’
It is really fascinating to see how Furlong deals with the young girl he finds in the coal bunker at the convent. She is surrounded by her own feces and has been locked up for days. When he brings her into the convent, he discovers that she is an unmarried mother just like his mother and her name is Sarah, which was also his mother’s name. Mother Superior insists that the girl got lost playing hide and seek and subtly warns Bill to keep out of their business through subtle threats and bribes. Bill takes the money but is disgusted at himself for doing so. He cannot get the girl out of his head and he gets angry at his wife’s attitude towards the girl. He is also disgusted at himself for going to mass that evening and sees the hypocrisy of the church. His heroic nature is highlighted by his inability to let the issue go. I was surprised by the effect the girl had on him.
Warden Norton is completely different as he seems to have no conscience when it comes to his actions. When Tommy brings forward his story, which would see Andy freed, he shows no hesitation in having the young man killed. It is shocking that a man who appears to be religious can carry out a murder like that with no remorse. Unlike Bill, he has no problem putting his own interests first. He also puts Andy in the hole and threatens him to keep him in line. His villainy, despite being horrific, is quite fascinating.
The final scenes in both texts were intriguing and fascinating. Furlong, who has been warned by everyone about the consequences of going against the church, defies all the warnings and marches into the convent to rescue the young girl. I was genuinely shocked that someone would be so selfless and kind to put everything on the line to save someone else. Furlong is a hero because he did the right thing regardless of the consequences. He will suffer for what he has done but it is more important to him to do what is right. Furlong highlights the hypocrisy of the church who tell others how to behave but treat the girls appallingly.
The same hypocrisy is present in the film through the religious Norton. When Andy escapes and reveals the corruption and murder in Shawshank, we see the police coming for Norton and the prison officers. Hadley is taken away but Norton is not going to go like that. Norton takes a gun from his drawer and puts it in his mouth and pulls the trigger. Norton’s judgement has now come but like the true villain he is, he will not face the consequences of his actions, instead taking his own life.
Both endings are intriguing as they highlight the heroism of Furlong and the villainy of Norton. Despite being polar opposites, both characters gained my attention and were interesting characters to follow throughout the texts.