This is how his character is perceived to be in first instance, Cormier uses foreshadowing to deepen this image of him. Francis depicts Larry Lasalle to have a ‘Movie star smile’ and ‘Fred Astaire strut’ this makes a darker intrigue around his character as it displays Larry may be putting on a performance as he disguises himself behind a façade and is not himself. Again foreshadowing, during the event of Larry Lasalle returning from war where Nicole tells Francis ‘stay close to me’ building insecurity surrounding LaSalle’s character.
Cormier also uses Larry Lasalle to create tragedy within the novel. The build up of his character being so perfect and hero-worshiped, when he does rape Nicole the offence becomes even more mystifying and disregard by the reader as a ‘hero’ committed it. Dichotomy is shown within his character when he returned from war. Cormier uses this dichotomy to show the variety of emotions and feeling towards other characters such as Francis. Through this Cormier is trying to prove that good and evil can occur at the same time hence one of his themes ‘the ordinariness of evil’.
Lassalle dichotomy is shown again, when Francis later meets Lasalle. This time he seems ‘pale’ skinned and is described many times to be ‘fragile’ this shows a level of authority to be los and he no longer has power over Francis, making him a weaker character in the novel. He uses a patronising tone towards Francis by declaring ‘couldn’t of stopped me anyway Francis. You were just a child’ making him still feel incapable. Lasalle also tries to justify his actions by saying ‘we love are sins’. The word ‘we’ applying to everyone not just himself as an individual basis, makes it seem that he has done no wrong and that the blame is shared. He admits to loving ‘sweet little things’ which highlights the fact that Nicole may possibly not been the only victim of his. Cormier uses LaSalle to do this as it shows that you cannot judge a person based on physicality that you must see the underlying messages, that people can manipulate people into thinking that someone is a good person or even a “hero”.
When the disaster does happen, after Lasalle told Francis ‘Nicole and I are having one last dance. Larry turns out the lights ‘plunging the hall into darkness’ symbolically ending a hope in both of their lives as this would have a catastrophic effect both of them. Before Francis innocently did not get the fear of Nicole when she ask him to ‘stay and watch’, which the reader was probably aware of her apprehension towards staying with Larry. Cormier uses Lasalle to do this to depict how people (e.g. Larry) can thrive and take advantage of other peoples (e.g. Nicole’s) weaknesses and fragility, creating a more ‘anti-hero’ theme towards the novel.
Cormier uses LaSalle to show that people need to see heroism, to motivate and inspire people. For example LaSalle says faking the table tennis result to let Francis win this is a good thing for the other kids. He also has LaSalle ask the question of whether his heroic acts are devalued by his crimes. LaSalle does not feel any guilt over his actions. This limits our empathy with LaSalle. At the end of the book Francis thinks about the ordinary soldiers in his own platoon. Boys who ‘didn’t receive a ‘Silver Star’, but are heroes anyway. The real heroes.’ Cormier is suggesting that these heroes need to be remembered, not only the famous war heroes.
Throughout ‘Heroes’ Larry Lasalle is used to create intrigue by committing a crime that is seen to be even more horrific as he was so idolised previously, due to his heroic war contributions. The rape destroys both Nicole and Francis life together but helps raise the question ‘what really makes a hero?’ and helps to make the reader think about making better judgment on heroes themselves, creating a really thought provoking novel.