Crispin: The Cross of Lead

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-15

Chapters 16-32

Chapters 33-48

Chapters 49-58

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Will Versus Fate

Through Crispin’s development throughout the novel, Avi explores the opposing concepts of will and fate and how belief in one or the other impacts an individual. As the novel opens, Crispin feels that his life is spinning out of control. Following the death of his mother, he loses the ox that is his only means of support. Not long after, he finds himself the center of an inexplicable manhunt whose aim is to bring about his death. After Father Quinel’s death, with no hope of finding friendship or support in Stromford, Crispin sets out alone, wandering aimlessly. His interpretation of these unfortunate events hinges on his perception of God as a source of fate, or unavoidable destiny, leaving people like him with little or no say in the outcomes of their lives. To make sense of his worsening situation, therefore, Crispin assumes he must have done something to anger God, who seems to be punishing him.

Crispin’s assumptions are tested and questioned after he falls in with Bear. Bear quickly comes to resent Crispin’s tendency to remain passive. For instance, after Bear guesses that Crispin doesn’t like him, Crispin responds, “I have no choice,” then adds “God’s will be done” (82). Later, when Bear asks Crispin whether there are any aspects of himself that he would like to change, Crispin voices his opinion, “We must be content to be as God made us” (103). He then counters Bear’s suggestion that God may want people to better themselves with the insistence that “He will do so” (103), emphasizing God’s role as the sole determinant of human outcomes.

Gradually, Crispin’s belief in fate weakens as he experiences personal change firsthand. Bear’s music lessons become a catalyst for this process. At first, Crispin obeys Bear’s instructions, just as he did Aycliffe’s policies, out of fear. Once he realizes that Bear’s threats are “but a rough kindness” (107), his progress in the lessons accelerates, and soon he plays his first song on the recorder. The confidence he gains from that small success motivates him to keep learning, creating a virtuous cycle. As his confidence increases, he acts with increasing independence until, in an epiphany, he makes the decision to trust Bear based on his own judgment and reasoning, instead of an appeal to God. As Crispin puts it, “The decision would be mine and mine alone” (138). From then on, Crispin does not abandon his faith but rather takes a more expansive view of himself as an agent within a grander design.

Following this discovery, Crispin acts with increasing independence. Instead of waiting and wondering what to do after Bear is captured, Crispin seeks help from Ball’s society then, failing that, moves forward alone. By the time he and Bear escape from Great Wexly, Crispin is a free man in the truest sense: Not only has he secured the freedom to do as he pleases by escaping Aycliffe’s clutches, but he has also come to appreciate his own role as a “soul that lived in freedom” (262), awakening him to the possibility of making deliberate choices, not least of which is the choice to leave behind his mother's cross of lead and the complicated legacy that it represents.

The Instability of English Feudalism

Crispin: The Cross of Lead captures a transitional period not only in Crispin’s life but in English society as well. Along with Crispin, each of the characters in the novel is a participant in England’s feudal system, and their varied experiences and perspectives highlight the ways feudalism's imbalanced social structure perpetuated conflict.

One source of instability centers on the question of succession, whether from one monarch to the next or among the lesser nobility. Crispin finds himself at the center of a conflict that arises following Lord Furnival’s death. As an obscure but potential claimant to Lord Furnival’s seat, Crispin is marked for elimination on the slight possibility that someone would recognize him and use him to seize power; it is implied that Lord Furnival’s other illegitimate children are to be dealt with the same way. Similarly, when Bear and Ball discuss the best time to stage a revolution, they speculate that the passing of a monarch might be a particularly suitable time, given that it often leads to unrest.

If succession-related conflicts generally take place between those of similar class and rank, another source of tension within feudalism is the resentment that grows between the various social classes. Set a few years before the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, the novel demonstrates the mounting stresses and influences that would lead to that violent conflict. Before he ever comes under Bear’s revolutionary influence, Crispin recalls hearing discontented talk among the peasants of Stromford—talk that was subsequently branded as treasonous by Aycliffe. Trained to avoid such talk, Crispin finds it equal parts alarming and alluring, as when he describes his reaction to Ball’s speech:

The more I listened, the more startled I was that I understood what John Ball was saying, that he was, in fact, describing the way I had lived, and how it was wrong and could be made right. But as his words went on, I realized too how hazardous this business truly was, nothing less than rebellion against the realm of England (201).

Crispin’s feelings demonstrate why and how such views would prove so popular among the peasants, suggesting that a system that oppresses a subset of the population can never be truly stable. Indeed, English feudalism relied on the violent interventions of men like Aycliffe to survive. Aycliffe’s true feelings about the peasants over whom he rules are suggested by his response when Crispin appears in the Furnival’s palace: “How dare such a filthy peasant as you even presume to put your foot within this place?” (240), showing that the enmity between classes flows in both directions.

While Crispin does manage to step away from the trials and temptations of feudalism in the end, Avi provides no clear answers about how the system as a whole could be fixed and leaves readers to draw their own parallels to modern societies.

The Elements of a Meaningful Life

After learning that Lord Furnival is his father, Crispin realizes that he faces a choice in fashioning a life of his own: “But what kind of life?” (222), he asks himself. Though he doesn’t voice that question until relatively late in the novel, his experiences throughout story the indicate several elements of a meaningful, happy life.

First among these is an appreciation for life itself. Early on, Crispin nearly decides to give up, even offering a prayer for God to end his life and take him to heaven. Shortly thereafter, he encounters the body of a man hanging from a gallows, which he interprets as a sign from God and a reminder that life is preferable to death. His new resolve carries Crispin forward to his meeting with Bear, who instructs Crispin that a person’s quality of life can vary dramatically based on their choices and outlook: “If you can’t laugh and smile, life is worthless. Do you hear me? […] It’s nothing!” (73). Under Bear's influence, Crispin gradually opens himself up to experiencing joy. The first time Bear spots Crispin smiling, he humorously praises God for the “miraculous gift” of Crispin’s smile. Widow Daventry exerts a similar influence, and Crispin admits “I could not keep from grinning” following her playful greeting to Bear (152). Not until Bear and Crispin escape from Great Wexly, however, does Crispin openly laugh, showing that he is finally relieved of the fear and worry of the past.

As Crispin discovers, another key to happiness in life involves developing a clear sense of identity and worth. Bear is shocked when Crispin admits that he is unsure whether he even has a soul since he never felt any emotions to indicate the presence of a soul. The implication is that Crispin, through his unhappy upbringing, learned to repress his feelings. Using music, which Bear describes as “the tongue of souls” (77), Bear helps Crispin find his expressive voice. As Crispin proceeds to define himself not as a result of his circumstances, including the circumstances of his birth, but rather in opposition to those circumstances, rejecting any connection between himself and Lord Furnival, his sense of individuality grows. As he walks away from Great Wexly, he happily affirms his possession of a “new-found soul” (262).

A third element of a meaningful life involves learning and exploration. As Bear teaches Crispin, asking questions enhances life while adhering to a fixed set of answers stifles growth. That Crispin takes his words to heart is evident in the curiosity that drives his exploration of Great Wexly. Meanwhile, his willingness to pursue questions leads him to unravel the mystery of his past and finally come to terms with it. As the novel closes, Crispin feels himself to be “alive to an earth I hardly knew but was eager to explore” (262).