Geron Is the Protagonist in the Short Story the Hand by Yves Theriault

Final copy

Geron is the protagonist in the novel The Hand by Yves Theriault.

The author creates a round character that is fully developed with both good and bad traits. In this story, Geron struggles with his temper. At the beginning, he is portrayed as a man who is unable to control his temper, but this all changes at the end.

Geron is a very large and robust, middle-aged, married man

“being big and strong as an animal.” (Page 76) He is also very hard working in that he “used to farm a long, narrow strip of land….and he pastured a flock of sheep whose wool he sold to the peddlers who came every spring.” (Page 74) The fact that he is such a big, strong, burly man with an anger problem makes him intimidating. “During these explosions, Geron yelled with rage and everybody trembled…..” (Page

74) The people in the hamlet seem to be afraid of him.

Although Geron’s physical size is threatening, it is his unpredictable personality that has his neighbors fearful. Geron is hot tempered. His friend Mourgan predicts, “He’ll kill one day. One day somebody will be within reach of that wild swing and Geron will kill him.” (Page 74) He is also unreasonable because his outbursts are sometimes caused by trivial things. For example, he might fly into a fit of rage “if a rock surfaced in his field at the wrong moment or the soup wasn’t hot enough, or a lamb got lost on the heights.” (Page 76-77)

Despite his uncontrollable anger, Geron is also a very kind and gentle man. His wife, Marie, describes him as a “gentle and good, loving man.” (Page 74)

When not in a fit of rage, Geron seems to get along well with others. He enjoys going to the marketplace on Sunday, with his wife, and chatting with the people of the village. He and Marie are very happy together. “It was almost a miracle that there could be, in such a place, two people who loved each other so much….” (Page 76) This is why it is such a surprise when Geron loses his temper and hits his

Marie. It is this incident that causes him to change. In the past he was never sorry for his temper. This time, he is so remorseful for what he has done that he wants to ensure that he is never able to hurt his Marie or anyone else again. His unbelievable act of cutting off his own hand shows how much more he cares for his wife than for himself. Rather than risk ever hurting her again, he maims himself for life.

Geron seems nice enough, but I would not want to be around when he loses his temper. He reminds me of a friend of mine- a great guy, but someone who could use some serious anger management counseling. Yves Theriault, makes his character come to life and forces one to think about the consequences of uncontrolled anger.