The Scarlet Pimpernel

Jared Irvan
Mr. Ostrynski
English I
08/16/2012
Percy Blakeney The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orzcy is an intriguing novel that takes place during the French Revolution during 1789 -1799 in France. One of the main characters is Percy Blakeney, who is secretly the scarlet pimpernel. As the scarlet pimpernel he helps condemned French aristocrats escape from the guillotine during the French revolution. His wife, Lady Blakeney, is also a main character in the novel. She is known for her beauty as an actress and for her charisma. Percy Blakeney is the character that I most admire for his bravery, self-sacrificing actions, and his intelligent personality. Throughout the novel Percy exemplifies bravery in many ways. One way is by helping all of theses condemned aristocrats escape from Paris, but by doing this he could be put to death by the guillotine. “Oh! that was extremely funny, for as often as not the fugitive would prove to be a woman, some proud marchioness, who looked terribly comical when she found herself in Bibot's clutches after all, and knew that a summary trial would await her the next day and after that, the fond embrace of Madame la Guillotine.”(pg3)
Percy’s whole secret identity as the scarlet pimpernel highlights his intelligence of hiding his true identity so he will not be suspected at all to be helping the condemned French aristocrats. He plays himself off as a stupid stooge and has everyone fooled. He even made her smile quite merrily by telling her of the Scarlet Pimpernel's quaint and many disguises, through which he had baffled the strictest watch set against him at the barricades of Paris. This last time, the escape of the Comtesse de Tournay and her children had been a veritable masterpiece—Blakeney disguised as a hideous old market-woman, in filthy cap and straggling grey locks, was a sight fit to make the gods laugh.(pg175-176)
Lastly, what some might think to be the most admirable trait of Percy’s are his self-sacrificing actions that he performs. He risks his relationship with his wife by hiding his identity as the scarlet pimpernel, and he risk his own life just to help out his fellow Frenchmen. All of these actions show how unselfish he is as a person. "A cart, . . ." he shouted breathlessly, even before he had reached the gates.
"What cart?" asked Bibot, roughly.
"Driven by an old hag. . . . A covered cart . . ."
"There were a dozen . . ."
"An old hag who said her son had the plague?"
"Yes . . ."
"You have not let them go?"
"MORBLEU!" said Bibot, whose purple cheeks had suddenly become white with fear.
"The cart contained the CI-DEVANT Comtesse de Tourney and her two children, all of them traitors and condemned to death." "And their driver?" muttered Bibot, as a superstitious shudder ran down his spine.
"SACRE TONNERRE," said the captain, "but it is feared that it was that accursed Englishman himself—the Scarlet Pimpernel."(pg8-9)
In conclusion, Percy is an admirable character because of his intelligence and self-sacrificing bravery. Throughout the novel, Percy helps many people but is still hated by some for his actions and was almost arrested, but he managed to elude his prosecutors. Although he was hated for his actions, people still find him as an admirable character because he fought for what he believed in. He was very intelligent and showed an incredible amount of bravery and self-sacrifice.