The Radicalized Mind
Joseph Strorm is a loyal brute, an extremist. He is an unwavering leader to Waknuk and the Repentances. He would sacrifice anything for his religion. Joseph is the kind of character that will do what he believes in. He is very cantankerous and hard to deal with, making him a threat to David. Firstly, Joseph can be very dangerous because he will punish anyone, no matter who. Those who go against the Repentances are risking their lives, that includes Joseph’s only son David. Furthermore, Joseph does many things to sustain the wellbeing of his religion, but he consistently goes overboard and makes decisions based on his gut without asking for anyone else’s opinion. Additionally, Joseph Strorm is an unquestionably…show more content… After the whipping everyone left David alone until Mary, David’s older sister stepped up. If Joseph is willing to whip his own child to get information, then imagine what he would do if he found out that David and Petra were both deviants. Even after the whipping, not even his own mother helped him: “My mother looked in in the morning, but she was detached and disapproving. Mary was the one who took charge, and she decreed that there was to be no getting up that day” (Wyndham 53-54). Later, when David’s group is forced to leave Waknuk, Katherine and Sally get captured. Joseph and his community tortured them with hot irons on their feet to get leads to the people in the group and where they might be heading to: “‘Katherine has admitted it; confessed. I have confirmed it. They would have forced me to it, too, in the end. I-‘ she hesitated wavering. ‘I couldn't face it. Not the hot irons’” (Wyndham 130). Joseph Strorm’s only goal is to support the Repentances and withhold his power in Waknuk. If anyone contradicts him or the Repentances, they will be punished severely for it, friend or family. David and his telepathic friends oppose the Repentances by living in a religious community. If Joseph is willing to put such harsh inflictions on other people, it is clear that he will also turn David into the inspector, and maybe even kill…show more content… First, Joseph and the inspector certainly cannot stand being with each other. They have disagreed again and again, countless of times. For instance; the Daker’s cat incident, Angus’s exceedingly large horses, and the symbolic action that included the whip. It is clear that the inspector thinks badly of Joseph: “The inspector was suddenly tired of it. ‘Its part of my official duty to protect them from harm by fools and bigots,’ he snapped” (Wyndham 38). Pursuing this further, when David meets Sophie’s father, he reflects on what he might be thinking about Joseph Strorm being his father. Even David could guess what could happen to Sophie and her family if Joseph finds out about them: “David Strorm, the son of Joseph Strorm, of all people, who had seen her foot. He must, I think, have been greatly tempted by the thought that a dead boy could break no promise” (Wyndham 25). Not to mention, Uncle Angus and Joseph often quarrel about short-lived things, for example in the book they have argued about crops and horses that had noticeable differences. Angus Morton often threatens Joseph Strorm’s beliefs and morals publicly: “Joseph Strorm was a flinty souled pendant, and bigoted well beyond reason” (Wyndham 35). Not everyone in Waknuk follows the laws of the Repentances, especially the higher up. People don't always agree with Joseph Strorm because he can be difficult, impossible, and
