In the novel heroes, Robert Cormier uses language and literary devices to explore the character of Larry LaSalle in terms of his physical appearance, speech patterns, reputation, public behaviour and secret actions. Heroes is a book set in, Frenchtown, America which explore the themes of secrecy, guilt, love and heroism. Cormier slowly reveals why Francis and 18 year old wants to kill, Larry LaSalle a man he once worshiped. Francis tells us in the first chapter that LaSalle is ‘the man I am going to kill.’ From the first chapter of the novel is clear that LaSalle is going to be very important throughout the story because he is mentioned as well as Nicole Renard.
When Larry is introduced in the first chapter he is presented as being a charismatic man. Cormier also describes him by using and adjective ‘dazzling movie star’ which gives us the impression that LaSalle is initially presented as someone wealthy and someone to be admired. However there is a sense of foreboding as to why he does not want to be in the show business and wants to run a youth club in Frenchtown.
