Bless the Beasts and Children: Analysis of Major Characters
"Bless the Beasts and Children" delves into the lives of a misfit group of campers known as the Bedwetters, led by the troubled fifteen-year-old John Cotton. The narrative explores themes of alienation, personal trauma, and the struggle for acceptance as each character grapples with their own challenges. Cotton, burdened by a tumultuous home life, assumes leadership despite lacking natural authority, often resorting to bullying to unite the group. His desire to assert control culminates in a daring mission to liberate buffalo from slaughter, symbolizing a quest for redemption.
The ensemble includes Gerald Goodenow, a boy marked by dependency and emotional fragility, who finds courage through Cotton's leadership. Billy Lally, or Lally 2, seeks love and validation amidst family neglect, while Stephen Lally, his older brother, embodies destructive tendencies fueled by intense sibling rivalry. Other members, like Lawrence Teft III and Sammy Schecker, illustrate the complexities of identity and the impact of family legacy. The group's inept camp counselor, Wheaties, adds another layer of conflict, representing the adults' failures in understanding these children's struggles. Together, these characters navigate profound emotional landscapes, culminating in acts of defiance and a search for belonging.
Bless the Beasts and Children: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Glendon Swarthout
First published: 1970
Genre: Novel
Locale: Box Canyon Boys Camp, Arizona
Plot: Social realism
Time: The 1960's
John Cotton, the fifteen-year-old leader of a misfit group of campers called the Bedwetters. The son of a selfish and disinterested mother and numerous stepfathers, Cotton has a rage against the world so deep as to induce catatonia during periods of stress. As misfit children are thrown out of other cabins, Cotton takes them in. Although not a natural leader, he seizes authority, bullying and cajoling the boys into working together. In an abortive raid to capture the trophy of another cabin, Cotton joins the disorganized Bedwetters. His humiliation at their failure reduces him to tears. Ruthlessly, he begins his crusade to save these rejects from society. Setting the horses free from their corral as a ruse to draw away the other campers, Cotton and his Bedwetters capture all the camp trophies. Teft's careful shooting of the trophies, placing a bullet in each, frightens the other campers so badly that Cotton's mission is accomplished: The Bedwetters are given fearful respect. Wheaties, the boys' counselor, insists on stopping at the Roscoe Ranch Buffalo Preserve near Flagstaff to see a buffalo shoot, and the boys are sickened at the slaughter. Cotton rallies them to bring back Lally 2, who has gone to free the buffalo. Pushing and prodding, Cotton leads the others in a final act of redemption, freeing the penned buffalo. Defiant to the end, he dies while stampeding the herd.
Gerald Goodenow, a sissy and a crybaby who still wets the bed at the age of fourteen. Overly dependent on his mother, he is unable to function normally. A confrontation with Cotton over his breaking the group rules is a turning point in Goodenow's life; he accepts Cotton as his leader. With the others, he has the courage to face the dangers of freeing the buffalo herd and volunteers to open the pens.
Billy Lally, called Lally 2, the twelve-year-old brother of Stephen. Deluged with material things but otherwise ignored by his frequently absent parents, Lally 2 is locked in mortal combat with his older brother for their attention. His defense against a psychotic brother and uncaring parents is to withdraw into a world of fantasy. He wets his bed, sucks his thumb, and suffers from severe nightmares. Lally 2's first real love is for Sheba, an elderly mare assigned to him at camp. Upset at the slaughter of the buffalo, he adamantly refuses all orders to return to camp. He is determined to free the buffalo.
Stephen Lally, called Lally 1, Billy's fourteen-year-old brother. His hatred of his brother is almost psychotic in its intensity. When frustrated, he sets fires, kills pets, and butts his head against walls. Cold and hungry, he braves the buffalo pens.
Lawrence Teft III, the fourteen-year-old son of affluent parents. Teft's savage inner strife manifests itself in perpetual teeth grinding while he sleeps. His crimes have escalated from petty theft to stealing automobiles, and he has become more self-destructive. During the trophy raid, his shooting of the other teams' trophies brings the Bedwetters a terrified respect. His expertise at stealing automobiles furnishes the transportation to the buffalo killing grounds.
Sammy Schecker, the twelve-year-old son of a famous Jewish comedian. He has no identity beyond his father's reflected glory. A compulsive eater and whiner, Schecker rattles off his father's routines compulsively. Cotton's confrontation with him over his constant chatter brings Schecker's first triumph, as he overpowers his tormentor. With Goodenow, he has the courage to open the gates for the buffalo herd.
Wheaties, the group's inept nineteen-year-old camp counselor. Their hatred of him is reciprocated. He takes the Bedwetters to the buffalo preserve, where the buffalo are being slaughtered.