Characters - CCEAJerry: poor and adventurous

Poor

As a child of a poor family and later a labourer for one of the Moore’s tenant farmers, Jerry is obviously less privileged than Alec.

Tenants did not own any property and often had few rights.

The first thing Alec notices about Jerry is his feet, “bare, dust-grey and with soles obviously as hard and impervious to stones, thorns, damp, as were the soles of my expensive black leather shoes”.

This juxtaposition of Jerry’s bare feet with the expensive shoes Alec wears shows the difference in class between the two characters immediately.

Even in winter Jerry “moved awkwardly in a pair of men’s boots tied onto him with string”, obviously having to make do with boots too big for him and with no laces.

We see his poverty highlighted later on too when Alec notices that Jerry is wearing “an old pair of my breeches”, and Alec is embarrassed by his privileged position.

This class distinction continues even when the men join the army and Jerry is separated from his friend by rank.

Adventurous

Jerry’s wild untamed nature is hinted at in Johnston’s initial description of his feet - especially when juxtaposed with the contrasting description of the staid leather shoes worn by Alec.

This free fun-loving nature is reinforced on their first real meeting when Jerry is swimming naked on the Moores’ private property.

He shows little fear when Alec discovers him, his “shining, grinning face” inviting Alec to “Come on in, why don’t you?”

The enthusiastic way he moves is emphasised by the “Sparks of water” that “flew from his arm”.

The adjectives and verbs used to describe Jerry portray an electric joy in life that seems alien to Alec, who has only lived with the inhibitions and lack of emotion in his household.

This adventurous personality is shown throughout - Jerry introduces Alec to drinking, he convinces him to go to war in such a spontaneous way and in the end he makes the dangerous decision to look for his father without permission.

Alec first meets Jerry breaking the rules by swimming in the Moores’ lake, and it is significant that in the end this adventurous streak leads to his tragic end.