Pankration - Dylan Blacklock

896 Words4 Pages
PANKRATION Pankration is a story about friendship, particularly that of Nic and Gellius. Describe how the novel demonstrates their relationship by looking at; • Their initial meeting and emerging friendship, • The time they spent apart, • Their reuniting at the end of the novel. Pankration by Dyan Blacklock is an action packed novel which follows the adventures of two good friends, Nic and Gellius. Theirs is a friendship wrought with many ups and downs. They meet, are separated and finally reunited. This essay will track their friendship from its budding stages, to their difficult separation and finally to their reunification. Nic and Gellius met under very difficult circumstances however it forged a friendship that is strong and enduring. They met on Gellius’ boat. Nic was trying to get around all the equipment on the deck and in his haste; he tripped over Captain Gellius. The captain exclaimed, “You nearly flattened me while I had my nose to the boards, boy.” Nic “found himself more amused than embarrassed.” Gellius’s easy going nature and sense of humour appealed to Nic. They were comfortable in each other’s company despite Gellius being the Captain and they being from two different age groups. Both confided in each other, ‘Nic forgot he was with grown man and Gellius forgot he was with a young boy.’ Another reason why they bonded so well was because both their fathers had died in the war and this brought them together. Gellius did not belittle Nic about showing his emotions when he recalled his father’s death. Instead Gellius shared his grief by describing his emotions when his father died. Gellius's child – like qualities drew Nic to him as can be seen when Gellius spun his giant body to show Nic that one had to be brave to enter the Pankration. His
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