The Nature of the Beast

Professor Michael Rosenblatt is an important secondary character who plays a key role in the investigation into the supergun. Rosenblatt is also a cryptic character who is often considered as a suspect and whose full role in the plot is never clarified. Rosenblatt is a retired physics professor who formerly worked at McGill University; because of his academic expertise, he is brought in to assist with the investigation after the supergun is discovered. Rosenblatt appears to be harmless and mild-mannered; he is described as a “short elderly man in a tweed jacket and bow tie” (93). However, he uses these external characteristics to disguise his keen intelligence, and his innocuous appearance hides the fact that he knows much more about Gerald Bull and Project Babylon than he initially reveals.

Gamache is often suspicious of Rosenblatt, and the plot repeatedly demonstrates that Rosenblatt allows Gamache to independently uncover information that he himself already possesses. Realizing this pattern, Gamache warns Rosenblatt, “There’s more to tell, Professor. We’ll find out eventually” (106). Rosenblatt ultimately protects Gamache and Jean-Guy when the CSIS agents try to shoot them, but his motives for doing so are unclear. When Rosenblatt leaves Three Pines at the end of the novel, Rosenblatt asks Gamache if he is still suspicious, and Gamache responds, “I think you know far more than you’re telling” (370). To depict Rosenblatt as a cryptic and mysterious character whose role is suspicious and unresolved, the author provides very limited access to Rosenblatt’s thoughts and feelings. Therefore, there is no possibility of character development or growth over the course of the plot.

Al Lepage is an important secondary character who advances the development of the mystery plot and also serves as a red herring (a false or misleading suspect or clue) in order to add complexity to the plot. He is the father of Laurent Lepage, and as soon as Laurent’s death is discovered, he treated as a suspect. While Al is viewed as suspicious due to his proximity to Laurent and because of some suggestive evidence at the crime scene, he is generally portrayed as a gentle and reclusive man who is happy to be living a quiet life. Al is also creative and interested in the arts; he performs folk music and is later revealed to be a talented artist.

While Al is not guilty of murdering his son, he is a man who is capable of perpetrating violence and keeping dark secrets. Although Al claimed to be a draft dodger, he is actually a veteran of the Vietnam War and took part in a massacre in which he killed unarmed civilians, including women and young children. Not only is Al a war criminal who assumed a false name and a false identity, but he is also loosely connected to Project Babylon, since he completed the etching that was transposed onto the gun. These plot details reveal that Al is not the mild-mannered and peace-loving man that he initially appears to be. Al’s background is revealed over the course of the novel, resulting in terrible grief for his wife. At the end of the novel, Al is arrested by American authorities and will eventually face the consequences of his actions from decades earlier. Despite this development, Al achieves a greater sense of peace by the end of the novel, as is demonstrated when he forgives Ruth for sending John Fleming to see him. Al shows enough self-awareness to take responsibility for his past actions, telling Ruth, “I could have sent him away too” (371).

Ruth is an elderly woman who has lived in Three Pines for many years; she is a talented and famous poet who lives a fairly reclusive life. Ruth is famous in the community for her eccentric and sometimes rude behavior; she has a pet duck, frequently uses profanity, and tends to have a negative and surly attitude toward most people. Early chapters demonstrate that Ruth is keeping a secret that is related to the supergun and to John Fleming; her reactions and body language show that she is haunted by unknown past events and feels regret and shame about them. Eventually, the narrative reveals that John Fleming invited Ruth to contribute poetry to the image etched on the supergun; she refused and referred Fleming to Al Lepage because she was terrified by Fleming and also by the commission. However, Ruth has been haunted by guilt and regret for exposing Al to Fleming ever since.

Explaining these events to Gamache, Ruth states, “I was nice once, you know” (289). She sees her cowardly action as a major turning point in her life that impacted the development of her personality. These insights into Ruth’s past provide more information about her abrasive persona. However, Ruth is also a beloved member of the Three Pines community, and she is often kinder than she appears. At the end of the novel, after Al Lepage is arrested, Ruth offers to have Evie come and live with her. When Ruth extends this invitation, she speaks in a voice “almost unrecognizable for its gentleness” (373). This kind action shows that Ruth has been liberated by finally revealing her secret and can now embrace a kinder and softer side of her personality.