Crispin The Cross Of Lead: An Analysis

“I kept asking myself if I felt different, if I was different. The answer was always yes. I was no longer nothing…” (Avi 221) This is a famous quote from the historical fiction book Crispin The Cross of Lead, written by Avi. This book is about a boy named Crispin, who goes through many trials and meets many people who help him find his true identity. Through the story Crispin has three “fathers” in his life, Lord Furnival, Bear, and God the Father and he learns several important things from them. Throughout the story Crispin becomes aware that he wasn’t always alone, he had God the Father with him. At first Crispin thought that God was punishing him for all the things he did wrong but that was the complete opposite. When ever Crispin was in trouble he always prayed and God was always there for him, not like his real father. When Crispin’s father “died” as well as his mother, the only thing Crispin had was his lead cross and God to help him. Also, when Bear was captured, Crispin says this to himself, “Silence was the only voice that could speak to me.” (Avi 209) But Crispin was wrong, he was not alone he had God with him, always.

At first Crispin was just a servant to Bear, but later started to get to know him through there travels. Bear helped Crispin to find his true identity, by teaching him to play the recorder and how to have courage. Whenever Crispin needed to ask questions Bear always answered them and every time he answered Crispin always learned something new. One thing Crispin learned from bear was to smile, “ ‘Do you ever smile, boy? he demanded. ‘If you can’t laugh and smile, life is worthless. Do you hear me?’ he yelled. ‘It’s nothing!’” (Avi 73) This is one of the first out of many things Crispin learns from