Character Summary by Rachel Granger

Basie

1. Basie doesn’t like work, although he never states this he gets other people, mostly Jim to do the work for in exchange for information or magazines. “For the next hour Jim was busy with the tasks that Basie had assigned him.” The fact that Jim does all of this for Basie suggests that he looks up to him and respects him especially the information he tells Jim about the war.

2. Jim wonders how Basie has come to have so many possessions. “All these had been obtained by barter, though Jim had never understood what Basie gave in return – like Dr Ransome, he had come into the camp with nothing.” From previous knowledge about Basie when he first met Jim and how he and Frank had acquired the gold teeth, this implies that maybe when someone in the camp dies he goes through there possessions and whatever he thinks could be valuable he takes and therefore he does not have to give anything in return. If this is true this shows a sneaky side of Basie.

3. Basie is very clever and manipulative towards Jim. He knows Jim loves the war and in exchange for jobs and Jim’s expanding vocabulary he provides information – “This was the kind of information in which his mind feasted, even know he knew that Basie embroidered the reports for his benefit.” This could suggest Basie is clever but that fact that he still “embroidered the reports for Jim’s benefit” implies that he isn’t as smart he makes out.

4. Although Basie does like Jim he sometimes lies to make Jim feel happier about things. “Are we going to the stadium, Basie?” “Right Jim…” and then he takes Jim’s mine off where they are going to calm him down maybe. This could show that Basie cares more about himself but wants to make other people happy as well.

5. Basie seems to act superior around others as if he thinks he is more important and better than other people. “Somewhere in the camp there was a concealed radio, which had never been discovered … Despite all his efforts, Jim had never been able to track down the radio … Then Basie would supply him with news bulletins of his own describing a parallel war.” The fact that he tells stories of the war suggests he likes to be the centre of attention and the one with the news as if he is the cleverer one.