Emmett
While Emmett didn't agree necessarily with Phoebe's first point (there were other ways to unify a people than through a forcefully appointed leader) he could emphasise with her desires to be accecpted and in a community. But the rest of what she said, what followed, went against every principle he had in him, every stubborn part of him that wanted to stand for what was right and not bend for anyone."So you're sayin' because it could go bad, we shouldn' do anythin'? Bee. I'm sorry, but tha's just...awful. Tha's how bullies end up takin' over, cos everyone's scared of them and what they're gonna do. I can' be scared. If enough of us stand up and show her that we can' be scared, we might be listened to. But if we all put our heads down n go along with it cos we might get punished, we're jus' sheep." He shook his head, conviction clear on his face.
"I know what my Pa would have done, and I know what I'm gonna do. And it sure ain' jus' lettin' anyone who feels like it declarin' themselves better than me and tryina tell me what t'do. I..." He softened, looked at her and sighed. "I don' wanna fall out with ya, Phoebe, but if you're gonna be this lenient I dunno if I'd even feel good about leavin' the kids here. What if some guards came over and said they're takin' the kids now? Or you get taken? You'd just go? Let 'em take 'em? When do you draw the line?"
If it were anyone other than Phoebe, Emmett would not have been trying to reason. He would have dismissed this argument as that of a cowardly bootlicker and left. But even though Phoebe couldn't see what to him was the painfully obvious course of action, he didn't want to lose her, though he could see the threads unravelled already, around the already shoddy patch.
All you broken boys and girls,
With your tattered flags unfurled:
With your tattered flags unfurled:
Fix yourselves then fix the fisher king.
Won't you fix yourselves to fix the fisher king?
Won't you fix yourselves to fix the fisher king?
