Group 9: H-I-J

Our group was assigned to find three quotes in Boy Genius relating to the character H-I-J, and his theme of betrayal.

The first quote we found was from Boy Genius's first conversation with H-I-J on page 28:

"...'I've known His Excellency for sixteen years now, and I've yet to have the privilege of smoking with him. You're a very lucky boy, I just hope you never disappoint him, for your sake and his.'"

In this excerpt, H-I-J seems to be very envious of Boy Genius's privilege. He even goes so far as to make what seems like a thinly-veiled threat. This sets the stage for our next passage from page 51, in which H-I-J betrays Boy Genius for the first time.

"H-I-J nodded sympathetically and said, 'Don't worry about a thing, Boy Genius. There's been some confusion here, but I'll take care of everything'. He then turned to the sentries and shouted, 'Shoot this boy if he ever shows up here again!'"

H-I-J seems to relish back-stabbing Boy Genius, leading him on to believe that he is on his side before twisting the knife. However, this is only the beginning of H-I-J's treachery, as it is later revealed that he was directly behind the assassination of Boy Genius's parents, as revealed by Rex on page 152:

"'I told you it was Abraham and his goons. I'll prove it to you. One of them had a scar on his face. On his cheek. Some letters. ABC or something like that."'

The reveal of H-I-J as the murderer cements his place as the primary antagonist in the novel. It also represents the most clear instance of betrayal in the novel, as the rest of the book is largely about Boy Genius's obsession with getting his revenge.

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Mark Craig