Silverfin_-_“How_Is_the_“Massacre_of_the_Innocents”_a_Symbol_of_Lord_Hellebore_”

“How is the “Massacre of the Innocents” a symbol of Lord Hellebore'” A dark and violent artwork the “Massacre of the Innocents” stands as a horrifying depiction of what is described as the title implies, the slaughter of innocents, in this case women and their newborns. The painting itself portrays a gruesome representation of a massacre and in a sense is symbolic of Lord Hellebore, specifically reflecting his personal values and beliefs. This comparison is achieved through the artist’s use of selected colours and positioning of figures and objects in the painting to convey a message. Firstly, the background is painted using dark colours and a storm is revealed forming in the distance. This is symbolic of Lord Hellebore as he is described in the Chapter 2 of the novel “like a volcano ready to erupt” and a lion “…a lion’s cage…the great beast…” Hence the storm is a possible link to these two similes and highlights how unpredictably vicious a storm can become as would a lion and volcano. This in turn can be used to describe Lord Hellebore’s vicious, unpredictable behaviour. Also, later in the chapter this idea of unpredictability and viciousness is revealed when Hellebore is caught off-guard by a punch thrown by James “For an instant, Hellebore glared at James with a wild fury in his eyes…” Secondly, the colours used in the artwork are symbolic of how there is no discrimination between the wealthy and poor. This is portrayed through both the red and white cloths, the red cloth symbolising being affluent and of a higher social class. While white cloth was generally perceived as common and worn by the lower social class. The idea of the massacre is defined as “the unnecessary, indiscriminate killing…” hence from this reinforced by both the placement of a red and white cloth. Similarly, Lord Hellebore in the novel is extremely indiscriminate towards anyone who stands between him and his beliefs and views. Lord Hellebore in order to realise his vision of perfect race, does not hesitate experimenting the imperfect serums on James, who is only a young teenager, his brother Algar, Alfie, a young boy “The fist injection was too much for him…” (pg 290) and even his own son, George Hellebore. Thirdly, the positioning of the various figures (the women, children and men) are used to convey certain themes such as male dominance, lack of respect for the human life, violence, death, futility and submission of the weak. The men in the artwork completely dominate the scene; they have complete power over the women, who struggle pointlessly against their attackers. The men are elevated physically in the artwork, through the A-Frame, they come off as dominate, powerful and physically strong figures. All these aspects of the artwork contribute to the likeness of Lord Hellebore, the elevation of himself especially during his speech before the commencement of the Hellebore Cup, “…the game isn’t just tough enough or fast enough for us Americans”, “Oh, sure some men lost their minds, but not me”. Hellebore has used exclusive language through the use of the word “us” and “me” to separate him from the others hence elevating himself both physically and mentally. Also likewise Lord Hellebore elevates himself through a series of metaphors “I used dead bodies as stepping stones” and “do whatever it takes to claw your way up to the top”. These metaphors relate back to the paintings idea of submission of the weak and a lack of respect for human life “…dead bodies as stepping stones” is an idea that is literally portrayed in the artwork as dead innocent infants are being trampled on by the violent soldiers. While the men in the artwork are positioned in high stances towering above everyone, hence this relates to the statement “do whatever it takes to claw your way up to the top”. Therefore, the position and images that the artist has chosen to place all the figures are symbolic of Lord Hellebore’s view that he is a superior being in every way. In addition, the artwork is also symbolic of Hellebores apparent lack of respect for human lives. Henceforth, through the artist’s use of selected colours such as red and white, the positioning of figures, objects in order to create an aspect of submission and power. The gruesome painting “Massacre of the Innocents”, holds a number of themes that symbolise the values and beliefs of the villain, Lord Hellebore in the novel “SilverFin”