Uncle Axel - lesson 26
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

Some of us treat opportunity like sand. We fill our hands with it, and then let it slip through our fingers until it is gone.

It is sad that the above happens; that we sometimes waste the chances we get to become independent and worthwhile citizens of this nation and the world. I want to believe that all of you who make use of the lessons in the The Gleaner's YouthLink are steady, focused and goal-oriented.

We have not finished our discussion of Uncle Axel and, today, I want to direct your attention to the following:

• Uncle Axel sees the danger that Anne's determination to marry Alan Ervin presents.
• He points this out to David and urges him to try to dissuade Anne from such a union.
• He casts doubt on some of the teaching and beliefs of the Church and their society, particularly in regard to their attitude to their ancestors, for he raised the fact that the old people must have made mistakes for tribulation to fall on them. As young as David was then, he was able only to understand some of what Uncle Axel told him, but he did grasp the idea that the essential quality that makes a man a man is not his physical form, for example, four hands or overly long limbs, but his mind. His aim was to reassure David about his ability to communicate through thought shapes, to convince him that nothing was wrong with him and, in fact, to stop him from asking God to take away this special capability.
• He convinces David not to run away from home and points out the danger he would face if he were to do so.
• He is an independent thinker.
• He realises that Petra is a telepath.
• He is alert and recognises the evil apparent in Alan.
• He kills Alan in order to protect David and his fellow telepaths. In the final discussion between David and himself, he is his usual caring self, concerned about the growing interest in the group and wondering about its cause. He promises to find out about Jerome Skinner because David wonders if he could be the source of the suspicion that has been raised.

Cold and distant

How do you feel about Mr Strorm? We have already decided that as a father, he is not good. He is stiff, cold and distant. He rules his household with an iron hand, using his authority to keep his family and, no doubt, his employees under subjection. His home is joyless. There are children here but do they play together? Can you imagine their father allowing them to romp and make noise in his house? I can't. David says that Mr Wender seems to have considered killing him to protect Sophie who is a mutant. Mr Strorm would be more likely to denounce his son than to shield him from harm. Even though we do not see as much of Sophie's family as we do of David's, it is obvious that the writer creates a contrast between these two families. Do you remember the love that was demonstrated in the Wender family, the way Mr Wender lifts and hugs his daughter? He doesn't blame his beloved wife for bearing a child with an extra toe on each foot. He doesn't quarrel when they have to leave their home and attempt to get to safety. On the other hand, Mr Strorm turns his back on his mutant brother and as was brought up in an earlier lesson, he accompanies those who hunt down David, Rosalind and Petra.

Constant bickering

Mr Strorm is cruel and shows no love for any member of his family. He beats David mercilessly. He treats his sister-in-law with harshness and disdain. He is quarrelsome as is made clear in the constant bickering between him and his brother-in-law. He is convinced of the rightness of their religious beliefs and practices and does all in his power to maintain human, animal and plant purity.

Mark you, he is a successful, therefore a prosperous farmer. He manages his wealth well, provides the material support for those who live under his roof and offers religious instruction and example to them as well. His dream is not to be happy or for his family to be happy, but to have perfect children, perfect animals and perfect plants - to return to the image of the same old people who had brought disaster to their world. He, like some others, and unlike Uncle Axel, does not analyse or even think seriously about the past that they yearn for so desperately. In that way, they make their present painful and unattractive.

We are going to turn our attention soon to William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Have a peaceful week and God bless!

These two students understand the importance of talking out issues instead of fighting. Peace in the classroom is very important to those who wish to learn. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer

Beryl Clarke teaches at Glenmuir High School.