Larry Lasalle Heroes

What is the role of Larry LaSalle in the novel?
Throughout the novel 'Heroes' Larry LaSalle is used to highlight the ordinariness of evil and the premise that you cannot judge a person purely on their physical appearance. He is also crucial to plot of the novel as he determines Francis' motivations. Larry LaSalle is also what fuels the main questions that arise in the novel such as what is a hero?
LaSalle is also used to show heroism. For example one could argue that by killing himself it was a last act of heroism on Francis' part as it means he will not have to go through all the guilt. He also has LaSalle ask the question of whether his heroic acts are devalued by his crimes. LaSalle does not feel any guilt over his actions; this limits
our empathy with him.
One of the other main themes that links into LaSalle is growing up but in Larry's case he is already mature when he enters the novel. Although in terms of rights of passage he goes from having a lot of respect in Francis's eyes to having very little. Francis's hands were 'shaking' when he tried to pull the trigger and end Larry's life which signifies a shred of respect for Larry was still left. War is also a main theme in the novel and Larry, Arthur and Francis are used by Cormier to show the after affects of war. Through Larry this becomes apparent in his last scene when Francis describes him as 'caught in an old photograph that had faded and yellowed with age' or in simpler terms a shadow of his former self, affected negatively by war. Although he is described as 'fragile' at this point from the readers perspective it still limits our empathy with him due to his previous actions. One could argue that karma has turned around to bite Larry LaSalle and he has gotten what he deserves.From chapter one Cormier makes it clear that LaSalle is going to be a very vital character, as Francis tells us 'he is the man I am going to kill'. At the start of the novel
there are some questions about this intention as Francis's description of his own horrifying injuries are intended to suggest he is a monster as he alienates himself, and therefore might give sympathy to LaSalle.
However, even by this stage the reader is empathising with Francis, and therefore doubts that LaSalle may not be the victim. The character of Larry LaSalle is also used to partly deceive the reader. This is done by constantly describing him as a hero and the perfect mentor. Quotes such as 'the best of the best', 'movie star smile', portray a heroic image of him which intrigues the audience. However after the rape scene the reader begins to see Larry LaSalle in a whole new way, raising questions about whether is he a hero, or a villain? This mystery about LaSalle's character is sustained through the book, as we see him in two different lights . Despite LaSalle's dazzling 'movie-star' good looks when he arrives in the town, there is a sense of uneasy mystery about him, as to why he turned his back on show business, as shown through the character of Joey LeBlanc. This is how his character is perceived to be in first instance, a hero in the eyes of everyone in Frenchtown. Francis depicts Larry LaSalle to have a 'movie star smile' and 'Fred Astaire strut' adding to his hero persona in the first instance, but leading the reader into thinking whether anyone can really be that perfect without any ulterior motives? A good example
of this is when Larry lets Francis win the table tennis competition; does he do it to help build Francis' confidence? Or is Larry disempowering Francis with his alpha male status by saying he could never win without him?Larry LaSalle in all of his actions can be perceived as only doing them with cruel intentions. Because of his naivety Francis doesn't pick up on any of these things before the rape occurs. In the last scene in which Larry is present in Francis describes the suicide as 'a ping pong ball hitting the table'. This links in with an earlier scene in which Larry allows Francis to win the table tennis tournament. The significance of this line is that even in death LaSalle controls the situation by allowing Francis to win and ends up dying a heroin the eyes of many.
Throughout Heroes Larry LaSalle is used to create intrigue by committing a crime that is seen to be even more horrific as he was so idolised previously, due to his heroic war contributions. The character himself is one of intense ambiguity due to the fact all of the actions he commits (excluding the rape) could be seen as done with both good and bad motivations.