History Characters / BabelOrTheNecessityOfViolence

* [[spoiler:{{Heroic Sacrifice}}]]

* [[spoiler:{{Patricide}}]]

* {{Lady Of War}}: Victoire is noted to be an excellent fencer along with Letty, and she is the one who [[spoiler: shoots Professor Lovell during the occupation of the tower.]]

--> ''Our father,’ Griffin said loudly, ‘was a cruel, selfish man who thought anyone who wasn’t white and English was less than human. Our father destroyed my mother’s life, and let yours perish. Our father is one of the principal engineers of a war on our motherland. If he’d come back from Canton alive, Parliament wouldn’t be debating right now. They’d have voted already. You’ve bought us days, perhaps weeks. So what if you’re a killer, brother? The world’s better off without the professor in it. Stop shrivelling under the weight of your conscience and take the damned credit.’''

——--

-> It took him a moment to realize what it was that grated on him, and when he did, it would bother him constantly, now and thereafter; it would seem a great paradox, the fact that after everything they had told Letty, all the pain they had shared, she was the one who needed comfort.

——

* {{Meaningful Rename}}: Downplayed, changes his name to “Robin Swift” to better fit into British society when Professor Lovell tells him he has to pick and English name, and we never do find out his original, Chinese name.

-> A Chinese orphan raised in England after the death of his family who struggles between the desire to help his motherland and live a comfortable life as a Babel Scholar.

* {{Asian And Nerdy}}

* {{Meaningful Rename}}: Downplayed, changes his name to “Robin Swift” to better fit into British society.

** ''Our father,’ Griffin said loudly, ‘was a cruel, selfish man who thought anyone who wasn’t white and English was less than human. Our father destroyed my mother’s life, and let yours perish. Our father is one of the principal engineers of a war on our motherland. If he’d come back from Canton alive, Parliament wouldn’t be debating right now. They’d have voted already. You’ve bought us days, perhaps weeks. So what if you’re a killer, brother? The world’s better off without the professor in it. Stop shrivelling under the weight of your conscience and take the damned credit.’''

** ''She’s just being Letty,’ said Ramy when pressed about it. ‘She wants attention, and she thinks throwing a tantrum is the way to get it.''

** ''It took him a moment to realize what it was that grated on him, and when he did, it would bother him constantly, now and thereafter; it would seem a great paradox, the fact that after everything they had told Letty, all the pain they had shared, she was the one who needed comfort.''

‘Lovely,’ said Ramy as he slathered jam over his scone. ‘Could be he pointed a gun at my sisters once.'

[[spoiler: ''We have to die to get their pity,’ said Victoire. ‘We have to die for them to find us noble. Our deaths are thus great acts of rebellion, a wretched lament that highlights their inhumanity. Our deaths become their battle cry. But I don’t want to die, Robin.’ Her throat hitched. ‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be their Imoinda, their Oroonoko. I don’t want to be their tragic, lovely lacquer figure. I want to live.'']]

—> ''We have to die to get their pity,’ said Victoire. ‘We have to die for them to find us noble. Our deaths are thus great acts of rebellion, a wretched lament that highlights their inhumanity. Our deaths become their battle cry. But I don’t want to die, Robin.’ Her throat hitched. ‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be their Imoinda, their Oroonoko. I don’t want to be their tragic, lovely lacquer figure. I want to live.''

* {{Despair Event Horizon}}: After all the trauma he endures, Robin finally crosses it after [[spoiler: Ramy’s death.]8

—>''’So when did he bring you over?’\\

* {{Jerk With A Heart Of Gold}}: He’s brash, condescending, and snarky, but he does care about liberation and his younger brother.

** ''Nice comes from the Latin word for stupid,’* said Griffin. ‘We do not want to be nice.’''

* {{The Unfettered}}: Griffin believes that violence is necessary in the fight against colonialism.
** ''’Nice’ comes from the Latin word for stupid. We do not want to be nice. ''

* {{HatesTheirParent}}: Griffin despises Lovell, and it’s not hard to see why.

* {{Don’t You Dare Pity Me}}: When Robin tries to offer Griffin money to buy a thicker coat during winter, he refuses. Robin notes that he’s too proud to accept help.

* {{Fair Weather Friend}}: Letty claims to love and adore her friends, especially Victoire, but is dismissive when they tell her about their experiences with racism.