Quotes

• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"My name is Francis Joseph Cassavant and I have just returned to Frenchtown in Monument and the war is over and I have no face."'
• Opening of Chapter 1

  • Establishes the setting
  • Introduces narrator in first person
  • Surprising statement creates mystery
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"Oh, I have eyes… but no ears to speak of, just bits of dangling flesh. But that's fine, like Dr Abrams says… He was joking, of course."'
• Chapter 1


  • Conversational style of address
  • Creates a close bond between the reader and the narrator
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: 'Description of Francis's physical injuries.'
• Chapter 1


  • Described in a matter-of-fact way
  • Creates sympathy in the reader – but does Francis expect this?
  • Makes the reader want to know why he looks like this
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"But not having much success" and "I don't blame them"'
• Chapter 1


  • Francis has low self-esteem and lacks confidence
  • Presented as single-sentence paragraphs to draw attention to them
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"This was proof that the scarf and the bandage were working in two ways: not only to hide the ugliness of what used to be my face, but to hide my identity."'
• Chapter 1


  • Why is Francis trying to hide?
  • Creates mystery
  • Francis believes he is ugly
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"I thought of Nicole Renard, realizing I had not thought of her for, oh, maybe two hours."'
• Chapter 1


  • First mention of Nicole
  • Suggests Francis may be in love with her
  • Makes the reader ask questions
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"She had always been generous when I did her errands and her tips paid for my ten-cent movie tickets at the Plymouth on Saturday afternoons."'
• Chapter 1


  • Francis knows Mrs Belander from before the war
  • In a first reading, the Plymouth seems unimportant
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"At that moment, I knew that I was really anonymous, that I wasn't Francis Joseph Cassavant anymore but a tenant in Frenchtown."'
• Chapter 1


  • Why does Francis want to be anonymous?
  • Contrasts with the opening sentence
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"I was home again in Frenchtown. I thought of the gun hidden away in my duffel bag and knew that my mission was about to begin."'
• Chapter 1


  • What is Francis's mission?
  • Why does he have a gun?
  • Creates mystery and suspense
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: 'Francis briefly mentions his dead father and mother, and younger brother.'
• Chapter 1


  • This is one of the few times they are mentioned in the novel
  • Why doesn't Francis talk about them more often?
  • He wants to forget the past
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"Then I am filled with guilt and shame, knowing that I just prayed for the man I am going to kill."'
• Chapter 1


  • Francis frequently feels guilt and shame
  • This section emphasises his religious feelings
  • Statement creates dramatic tension
• Unidentified man: '"'You're a big hero,' he said. 'A Silver Star hero.'"'
• Chapter 1


  • This is the first reference to being a hero in the novel
  • The reader wonders why Francis has been awarded the Silver Star
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"I am not a hero, of course, and I turn away in disgust."'
• Chapter 1


  • Francis has low self-esteem
  • Why doesn't he believe he is a hero?
  • Why does he say "of course"?
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"And even though I am home from the war, I wonder if I will ever see her again."'
• Chapter 1


  • The chapter ends on a cliff-hanger
  • Where is Nicole?
  • What happened to her?
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"The most beautiful girl I had ever seen… The pale purity of her face reminded me of the statue of St Therese… I silently pledged her my love and loyalty forever."'
• Chapter 2


  • Francis's first description of Nicole shows how he reveres her
  • Over-exaggeration
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"Was the look that passed between us that first day a wish of my imagination?"'
• Chapter 2


  • Emphasises Francis's lack of self-esteem
  • Is this typical teenage angst?
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"I never knew love could be so agonising."'
• Chapter 2


  • This is ironic
  • For Francis, his love for Nicole does become agony
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"I wondered whether she'd been waving at Joey LeBlanc or me."'
• Chapter 2


  • Again, Francis lacks the confidence to believe that Nicole could be attracted to him
  • Is he trying to make us feel sorry for him?
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"I feel like a spy in disguise as I walk the streets of Frenchtown."'
• Chapter 3


  • This is a simile
  • It is an effective image to begin this chapter with as it reminds us of Francis's mission
• Francis Joseph Cassavant: '"The Great Gatsby which I'd heard was a great novel… We drank vin rouge like the heroes in a Hemingway novel."'
• Chapter 3


  • Francis refers to classic American Literature
  • This is the first mention of his interest in reading and writing
  • Suggests an autobiographical link with Cormier