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Captain Hardcastle is the Latin teacher at St. Peter’s. Roald describes him as the cruelest of all of the Masters at that school. Captain Hardcastle earned his title in World War I, but as Roald notes, the rank of “Captain” is a low one. To insist on being called “Captain” after the war is over implies that Hardcastle is a man who clings to his own pride and sense of authority. Roald believes that he is Captain Hardcastle’s least favorite student, but he doesn’t know why. While Hardcastle oversees an hour during which students are supposed to silently work on assignments, the nib of Roald’s pen breaks and he risks leaning over to another student to ask for a replacement. When Hardcastle notices Roald talking, he accuses him of cheating and sends him to the St. Peter’s Headmaster’s office, where the Headmaster beats Roald with the cane. Neither Hardcastle nor the Headmaster is interested in evidence or explanations. As he leaves the Headmaster’s office, Roald sees that the door to the Masters’ common room is ajar and concludes that Hardcastle left it open in order to hear Roald’s punishment. This incident implies that, like Matron and Mrs. Pratchett, Captain Hardcastle relishes the suffering of children beyond what’s appropriate for an authority figure.
Captain Hardcastle Quotes in Boy
The Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Hardcastle or refer to Captain Hardcastle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
15. Captain Hardcastle
Quotes
Behind [Captain Hardcastle’s] moustache there lived an inflamed and savage face with a deeply corrugated brow that indicated a very limited intelligence. ‘Life is a puzzlement,’ the corrugated brow seemed to be saying, ‘and the world is a dangerous place. All men are enemies and small boys are insects that will turn and bite you if you don’t get them first and squash them hard.’
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‘You could ask Dobson, sir,’ I whispered.
‘Ask Dobson?’ he cried. ‘Why should I ask Dobson?’
‘He could tell you what I said, sir.’
‘Captain Hardcastle is an officer and a gentleman,’ the Headmaster said. ‘He has told me what happened. I hardly think I want to go round asking some silly little boy if Captain Hardcastle is speaking the truth.’
I was frightened of that cane. There is no small boy in the world who wouldn’t be. It wasn’t simply an instrument for beating you. It was a weapon for wounding. It lacerated the skin. It caused severe black and scarlet bruising that took three weeks to disappear, and all the time during those three weeks, you could feel your heart beating along the wounds.
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Directly across the hall from the Headmaster’s study was the assistant masters’ Common Room. They were all in there now waiting to spread out to their respective classrooms, but what I couldn’t help noticing, even in my agony, was that this door was open.
Why was it open?
Had it been left that way on purpose so that they could all hear more clearly the sound of the cane from across the hall?
Of course it had. And I felt quite sure that it was Captain Hardcastle who had opened it.
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24. Games and Photography
Quotes
It was more or less taken for granted that a Captain would be made a Boazer in recognition of his talents—if not a School Boazer then certainly a House Boazer. But the authorities did not like me. I was not to be trusted. I did not like rules. I was unpredictable. I was therefore not Boazer material. […] Some people are born to wield power and to exercise authority. I was not one of them. I was in full agreement with my Housemaster when he explained this to me. I would have made a rotten Boazer. I would have let down the whole principle of Boazerdom by refusing to beat the Fags.
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Captain Hardcastle Quotes in Boy
The Boy quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Hardcastle or refer to Captain Hardcastle. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
15. Captain Hardcastle
Quotes
Behind [Captain Hardcastle’s] moustache there lived an inflamed and savage face with a deeply corrugated brow that indicated a very limited intelligence. ‘Life is a puzzlement,’ the corrugated brow seemed to be saying, ‘and the world is a dangerous place. All men are enemies and small boys are insects that will turn and bite you if you don’t get them first and squash them hard.’
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
‘You could ask Dobson, sir,’ I whispered.
‘Ask Dobson?’ he cried. ‘Why should I ask Dobson?’
‘He could tell you what I said, sir.’
‘Captain Hardcastle is an officer and a gentleman,’ the Headmaster said. ‘He has told me what happened. I hardly think I want to go round asking some silly little boy if Captain Hardcastle is speaking the truth.’
I was frightened of that cane. There is no small boy in the world who wouldn’t be. It wasn’t simply an instrument for beating you. It was a weapon for wounding. It lacerated the skin. It caused severe black and scarlet bruising that took three weeks to disappear, and all the time during those three weeks, you could feel your heart beating along the wounds.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Directly across the hall from the Headmaster’s study was the assistant masters’ Common Room. They were all in there now waiting to spread out to their respective classrooms, but what I couldn’t help noticing, even in my agony, was that this door was open.
Why was it open?
Had it been left that way on purpose so that they could all hear more clearly the sound of the cane from across the hall?
Of course it had. And I felt quite sure that it was Captain Hardcastle who had opened it.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
24. Games and Photography
Quotes
It was more or less taken for granted that a Captain would be made a Boazer in recognition of his talents—if not a School Boazer then certainly a House Boazer. But the authorities did not like me. I was not to be trusted. I did not like rules. I was unpredictable. I was therefore not Boazer material. […] Some people are born to wield power and to exercise authority. I was not one of them. I was in full agreement with my Housemaster when he explained this to me. I would have made a rotten Boazer. I would have let down the whole principle of Boazerdom by refusing to beat the Fags.
