RevolverBy Marcus Sedgwick
New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2011
201 pages
Recommended Grade: 9
To Shoot or not to Shoot: Morality in Revolver
The Analysis:
Revolver is a thriller that primarily focuses on one question: will Sig Andersson shoot Wolff, a enormous stranger who claims that Sig's recently deceased father (Einar) swindled him out of a share of gold obtained during the Alaskan gold rush. The central theme to the novel is the often quoted line, "even the dead tell stories" (1). In subsequent flashbacks to Einar's life in Nome (1899 - 1900) the reader is informed not only of why Wolff has tracked the Andersson family to Giron in 1910, but also why Sig, who faces certain death with his sister Anna, faces a profound moral dilemma when presented the opportunity to save himself and his sister with his deceased father's pistol.
At the heart of Sig's dilemma is the moral conflict presented between his father and his mother. Einar would do anything to protect and provide for his family. He proudly displays the revolver he purchased to protect the family in the near lawless gold rush town of Nome. Sig's mother, Maria, on the other hand, is affectionately called the town's church (they do not have one), as she is a strict Christian, always having a Bible verse ready for any occasion. Unlike Einar, Maria is adamantly against gun use.
Through the Nome sequences, we learn that Wolff believes Einar, who works as an assay clerk (he measures gold and pays accordingly), is skimming gold from every prospector that enters his shop and he wants a cut. When Einar denies this, Wolff (who threatened Einar's family) kills Maria. Einar flees with his children soon after.
With Einar's body literally thawing on the kitchen table (he freezes to death at the beginning of the tale), Sig and his sister Anna are left trying to figure out how to appease Wolff. What follows is an extensive period of stalling as both Andersson children try to figure out how to get to their father's old gun. Harboring an extensive knowledge of pistols thanks to his father, Sig eventually discovers that the gun Wolff is threatening him with is missing its firing pin. Finally able to each his father's gun, Sig turns the tables on Wolff. But when provided the opportunity to shoot his assailant, Sig turns the gun over to Wolff proclaiming, "my mother's children are not murderers" (188).
Throughout the novel, references are made to the quality of Einar's gun. It is described as being an old model, worn out, and prone to jamming. Although we are given sequences in the novel that show that the gun does work (target practice), its age and shape become an issue when Wolff fires the gun at Sig. The gun literally blows up in Wolff's hand. Eventually Wolff succumbs to his injuries, and Sig and Anna escape, discovering their father's stash of gold (Wolff was not lying) and living happily ever after.
Revolver contains a basic plot, with its fair share of head scratching moments (Sig handing the gun to Wolff for instance), but one rooted in a legitimate moral discussion of guns. To further complicate the seemingly uncomplicated plot, is the epilogue provided to the tale. While the story is written in the third person, the epilogue, which features Sig as a first person narrator, suggests that Sig just told us a story, opting for the third person, so as to "write the story as if he was writing about someone else" (201).
Recommendation:
Revolver presents a two great topics for discussion: the morality of guns and the reliance of first person narrators (although the book itself is primarily in the third person). Although these topics could be used in a classroom setting, I would not recommend Revolver for use in the classroom (outside of silent reading).
Revolver is a thriller that primarily focuses on one question: will Sig Andersson shoot Wolff, a enormous stranger who claims that Sig's recently deceased father (Einar) swindled him out of a share of gold obtained during the Alaskan gold rush. The central theme to the novel is the often quoted line, "even the dead tell stories" (1). In subsequent flashbacks to Einar's life in Nome (1899 - 1900) the reader is informed not only of why Wolff has tracked the Andersson family to Giron in 1910, but also why Sig, who faces certain death with his sister Anna, faces a profound moral dilemma when presented the opportunity to save himself and his sister with his deceased father's pistol.
At the heart of Sig's dilemma is the moral conflict presented between his father and his mother. Einar would do anything to protect and provide for his family. He proudly displays the revolver he purchased to protect the family in the near lawless gold rush town of Nome. Sig's mother, Maria, on the other hand, is affectionately called the town's church (they do not have one), as she is a strict Christian, always having a Bible verse ready for any occasion. Unlike Einar, Maria is adamantly against gun use.
Through the Nome sequences, we learn that Wolff believes Einar, who works as an assay clerk (he measures gold and pays accordingly), is skimming gold from every prospector that enters his shop and he wants a cut. When Einar denies this, Wolff (who threatened Einar's family) kills Maria. Einar flees with his children soon after.
With Einar's body literally thawing on the kitchen table (he freezes to death at the beginning of the tale), Sig and his sister Anna are left trying to figure out how to appease Wolff. What follows is an extensive period of stalling as both Andersson children try to figure out how to get to their father's old gun. Harboring an extensive knowledge of pistols thanks to his father, Sig eventually discovers that the gun Wolff is threatening him with is missing its firing pin. Finally able to each his father's gun, Sig turns the tables on Wolff. But when provided the opportunity to shoot his assailant, Sig turns the gun over to Wolff proclaiming, "my mother's children are not murderers" (188).
Throughout the novel, references are made to the quality of Einar's gun. It is described as being an old model, worn out, and prone to jamming. Although we are given sequences in the novel that show that the gun does work (target practice), its age and shape become an issue when Wolff fires the gun at Sig. The gun literally blows up in Wolff's hand. Eventually Wolff succumbs to his injuries, and Sig and Anna escape, discovering their father's stash of gold (Wolff was not lying) and living happily ever after.
Revolver contains a basic plot, with its fair share of head scratching moments (Sig handing the gun to Wolff for instance), but one rooted in a legitimate moral discussion of guns. To further complicate the seemingly uncomplicated plot, is the epilogue provided to the tale. While the story is written in the third person, the epilogue, which features Sig as a first person narrator, suggests that Sig just told us a story, opting for the third person, so as to "write the story as if he was writing about someone else" (201).
Recommendation:
Revolver presents a two great topics for discussion: the morality of guns and the reliance of first person narrators (although the book itself is primarily in the third person). Although these topics could be used in a classroom setting, I would not recommend Revolver for use in the classroom (outside of silent reading).
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