The essay question requires you to demonstrate your understanding of the text as a whole. You will choose one question out of a choice of two. You should spend forty minutes on your response. You should write at least two sides of A4.

This essay question is different to others you might already be familiar with, e.g. An Inspector Calls and Of Mice and Men. In this essay response, you will be required to:

1. Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations;

2. Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings.

The essay questions are usually based on the following:

• How a character is presented.

• How a theme is presented.

Common themes include war, heroism, appearances, disguise, loneliness, isolation, guilt, forgiveness, religion, childhood and evil. Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

What do you think of Nicole Renard and how she is presented in the novel as a whole? [20]

Nicole is a complex character as she is presented using a number of conflicting ideas. She is often presented as a saintly figure that requires protection, but at points exhibits possessive and controlling behaviour. She is pivotal to the narrative as she is the central character that epitomises Cormier’s thematic exploration of innocence and evil as she is the victim of rape. Her presentation is fluid as it changes throughout the novel, demonstrating the devastating inclusivity of sexual assault and grooming, as rapists do not target certain types of people.

To begin, Nicole is presented as a saintly figure, as demonstrated through ‘the pale purity of her face’. The use of religious imagery demonstrates that she is innocent and in a sense an angel sent from heaven. She is also wearing ‘white’ resembling a bride, amelioratively connoting purity and innocence. This makes her traumatic rape attack even more distressing for the reader because they might see her as childlike, having had her immaturity and naivety snatched away from her. Moreover, when Francis met Nicole he ‘knelt there like a Knight at her feet’. The use of chivalrous language could signify that people want to look after her because of her holiness. Francis might be using this language because he is reflecting on her traumatic experience of rape, thus already knows that she desperately needed protecting from Frenchtown’s supposed hero. Nicole is also presented as being different to her peers, as she danced ‘separate’ from everyone else. Cormier’s use of this powerful adjective symbolises her superior and distinct status above everyone else in Frenchtown. This once again links back to her presentation as a saintly figure, as Francis’ high opinion of her almost aligns her with religious figures such as God and Jesus.

Furthermore, Cormier describes Francis and Nicole’s developing relationship throughout the novel. However, to begin Nicole is presented as an intimidating and unapproachable character as Francis discusses his desperation to talk to his childhood sweetheart. The use of tripling within ‘I gulped, coughed, and managed to utter ‘hello’’ demonstrates the difficult and long winded process Francis had to undertake just to talk to Nicole. Also, he ‘was unable to bring her name’ to his lips, suggesting she is so superior and out of reach that Francis is not even worthy enough to acknowledge her identity. This is later evidenced as their flourishing relationship led to Francis stating ‘she allowed me an innocent kiss.’ The verb ‘allowed’ pejoratively connotes authority and dictatorship, as Nicole possessed all of the power within the relationship. Moreover, her declaration of Francis being ‘my good Francis’, ‘my table tennis champion,’ and ‘my Silver Star hero’ illustrates her apparent ownership over the clueless boy. The repetition of the possessive pronoun ‘my’ signifies that she sees Francis as her belonging, and not just her boyfriend. Cormier might have intentionally complicated her character to demonstrate that anyone can be a victim of rape, no matter what type of person they are.

Contrastingly, Nicole’s toxic relationship with Larry LaSalle presents her pain and suffering. She is described as being fragile, vulnerable and ‘her hands both tender and caressing’, suggesting that her weakness meant she had no chance of fighting off her attacker. This is perhaps why Larry targeted Nicole, as he later states he loves the ‘sweet, young things’. During their final dance Larry didn’t just move the spotlight, but ‘manipulated it’. This powerful verb symbolises his scheming and conniving intentions, as he has also manipulated the trusting girl to put herself in a vulnerable position. The emphasis on her ‘white blouse torn’ demonstrates the relentless violence imposed on her by her supposed teacher. This pejoratively connotes impurity, as if her innocence - as analysed earlier - has been torn away too. Moreover, Larry ‘allowed her to slip down against his body’, symbolising the sexual nature of this interaction. The use of the preposition ‘down’ implies that he intended for her to move towards his sexual organs, illustrating his grooming of an oblivious child. Finally, Cormier’s simile ‘whimpering like a small animal’ epitomises her helplessness and vulnerability. The use of the adjective and animalistic imagery ‘small animal’ makes the reader think of Nicole as a puppy or lamb, needing protection from dangerous predators. Cormier’s portrayal of Nicole’s pain and suffering exemplifies the devastating and traumatic consequences inflicted through rape and sexual assault.

To conclude, Nicole has developed as a character throughout the novel, but not as hoped by the reader. To begin, she is presented as a saintly figure above everyone else in Frenchtown in status and reputation. Her alignment with religious figures might make the reader feel almost intimidated by her, as she is supposedly better than her peers but without justification. Correspondingly, Francis’ glorification of his childhood sweetheart further enforces her superiority. She regularly appears to hold power of Francis, and regularly refers to him as her property. Nonetheless, Larry’s decision to rape the young girl acts a pivotal moment in the narrative as it tears away her innocence and immaturity. The pain and suffering she experiences throughout her life changes the reader’s perception of her, as Cormier then presents her as damaged and weak. This complex presentation of such a dynamic character might have been intentional as Cormier wanted to put across the idea that rape does not discriminate, but can happen to anyone.

WJEC bears no responsibility for the example answers to questions taken from its past question papers which are contained in this publication.