Violence In the Novel

    HI, I'm Jeelyan & this blog is for my ENN195 class that i am taking in Lagcc, the theme of the class is Violence in America Art and Culture. In class we're discussing Caesars Column by Nicholas Ruddick...
In the novel Caesars Column by Nicholas Ruddick, there's a scene where violence occurs which up to this part of the novel there hasn't been any actual violence that has occurred. It happens in the house of the Prince, after Estella has come to know that she's been sold to be one of the mistresses that belong to the Prince and she's waiting for her dear friend Gabriel to rescue her. She has locked herself in her room and the prince wants to get her out by breaking down the door, she says "The man who enters here dies!" and after a few tries of breaking down the door they succeeded and got the door open but Estella was prepared, 

    "Joachim made a rush to the door; it trembled and cracked, but it did not yield; he moved                   

    farther back, drew his berth hard, and, -strong as a bull- went at it with a furious rush; the lock    

    gave way, the door flew open and Joachim sprawled upon the floor. I could see Estella standing 

    back near the window, her right arm was raised, and i fought the glitter of something in her hand. 

    In and instant Joachim was on his feet and approached her; i saw him grasp her; there was a slight  

    scuffle, and the next moment Joachim rushed out the room, pale as seat, with his hand to his breast, 

    crying out: "Oh! My God! She stabbed me.' " pg.65

 She stabbed him! although he wasn't he Prince nor the person whom had sold her, but he represented them, everyone who had mistreated her. By taking the poisoned knife into her hands and stabbing the man who was going in to get her she was taking control of the situation that was happening. She finally had control over what was going on his her life and she was going to do something about it. I feel like the knife represented her freedom and by her stabbing the man that wanted to take away her freedom (by breaking the door open and taking her to the king) . Its not just an act of violence that occurs but a representation of a person taking control of their life and in this case the that person would be Estella. 

Another act of violence happens later on in the novel in chapter 18, The Brotherhood is having a meeting and during this meeting Gabriel lets the president among all the members of their secret society  know that there is a spy among them. In correlation to this the president makes the members take of their masks so that Gabriel can point out which of them is the spy. Once Gabriel was able to point out the spy the brotherhood took him and asked him what they needed to know after they did so the president of the brotherhood killed him, 

    "In an instant the huge man, like some beast that had been long held back from its prey, gave a leap 

    forward, his face revealing terrible ferocity; it was a tiger that glares, plunges and devour. I saw 

    something shinning, brilliance and instantaneous like an electric flash; then there was the sound of 

    a heavy blow. The spy sprang clean out of the hands that were holding, high up in the air; and fell,  

   close to me, stone dead. He had been dead, indeed, when he made that fearful leap. His heart was 

   split in twain. His spring was not the act of the man; it was the protest against of the rush of the 

  departing spirit; it was the clay striving to hold onto the soul."

In the part of the novel it is not one person freeing themselves from the another but an entire society -"thus dies all enemies of the brotherhood" said the crippled. By the President of the secret society killing the spy they where killing the council of oligarchy. Everyone that had worked to oppress the poor and that made things much more difficult for them. Both passages have violence taking place in them but its not a violence that could be considered careless but of empowerment. When Estella and the Brotherhood killed the person then had offended them they became empower because that person represented everyone else that wronged them.