2. Calum’s Appearance
“He was a humpbacked, with one shoulder higher than the other; he had no neck, and on the
misshapen hump of his body sat a face so beautiful”. (p12)
-this quote mentions Calum’s physical deformities which are considered ugly but yet his face
resembles his inner beauty of innocence and kindness.
“His black curly hair speckled with orange needles”. (p2)
“His torn jacket was stained green, as was his left knee visible through a hole rubbed in his
trousers”. (p2)
“His sunburnt face was alert and beautiful with trust” (p2)
-this quote emphasises that Calum’s facial expressions represents his inner beauty that makes him
seem so harmless and wouldn't hurt anyone or anything.
3. Calum’s Personality
Calum is seen throughout the book as being an innocent character who is kind, caring and polite to anyone
and anything he meets even though many people are disgusted by his appearance and treat him with no
respect. I think Calum’s thoughts on how innocent things shouldn't suffer reflect how we are meant to feel
about Calum because he has to suffer with his physical deformity and the way people feel about him yet he
still has his innocence and caring attitude towards people and nature.
“Its not Neil’s fault lady… He did it because i was cold and wet” (p157)
-Calum being his usual polite and caring self is trying to defend his brother without being rude and also that
fact he is unaware of the seriousness of the situation makes him seem child like and this also adds to his
innocent personality.
“This was the terrifying mystery, why creatures he loved should kill one another…. he could not
understand it, and so he tried, with success, to forget it” (p3)
-Calum tries to forget about all the hate in the world and focusses on the good things in life because he can't
stand the thought of innocent things suffering, which makes him have such a positive attitude.
4. Calum’s Background
We arent told much about Calum’s background, all we know about him is:
-he is the younger brother of Neil
-Neil has been his protector and provider for a long time, which suggests that
their parents either died young or abandoned them so they had to fend for
themselves
-he is from a poorer background and are in the work class category
-he also seems to have a mental deformity because he is simple minded and
acts like a child, which makes it hard for him to understand certain situations
5. Calum’s Behavior
Calum always follows Neil’s every step and action when he is out of his comfort zone because he
knows that he is safe behind Neil. He is also very quiet and usually doesn't talk to people, its Neil that
takes the authority, but occasionally Calum will respond to someone in his usual polite manor.
“Calum clung to the tail of his jacket” (p132)
-this shows how Calum’s actions are reserved and he doesn't make himself stand out and clinging
onto something is what a child would do, so this makes him seem more shy and child like with his
behavior and actions towards people.
“Calum smiled, ‘it's all right’, he murmured”(p132)
-again this shows that Calum while being quiet and reserved, still has a polite nature and will talk to
people to make sure they aren't offended or to reassure them.
6. Calum’s Relationship with Neil
How Calum feels about Neil: Calum feels completely comfortable around Neil because he has been
with him all his life and Neil protects him, so Calum knows that he is safe around Neil. Calum looks up
to Neil and almost sees him as a role model because Neil is the one who has looked after Calum most
of his life.
How Neil feels about Calum: Neil loves Calum and always tries his best to defend and protect him
from the harshness of the world. although sometimes he knows the deep down inside he is ashamed
of Calum and his deformity, because he feels like its almost embarrassing for both of them because
they are treated differently to everyone else.
“All of his vows of never again being ashamed of Calum were broken. His rheumatism tortured
him, as if coals from the stolen fire had been pressed into his shoulders and knees, but he
wished that the pain was twenty times greater to punish him as he deserved.” (p156)
- Neil knows he shouldn't be ashamed of Calum especially when he is innocent and hasn't done
anything wrong, which makes him feel even more guilty and he believes that he deserves to be
punished for being embarrassed of his own caring innocent brother.
7. Calum’s Relationship with Duror
How Calum feels about Duror: Calum is unaware of how Duror feels about him, so Calum doesn't
have much opinion on him, all he knows is what Neil says about Duror which is just to stay away from
him but also he may be quite curious about Duror as Calum doesn't see the bad in anyone and may
want to find out why Neil is so wary of him.
How Duror feels about Calum: Duror has a hatred for Calum that is so strong that is becomes an
obsession. Duror hates the fact that Calum has a deformity and it annoys him because he thinks that
its ugly.He knows that this is unhealthy for him and is eating away at him which is why he knows he
needs to ged rid of Calum.
“He knew there was one thing on earth he did not want ever again to see: the smile of the
hunchback” (p117)
-Duror can't stand Calum and he hates the happiness and innocence that Calum has which gives
Duror no real reason to hate him just because of his deformity
8. Calum’s Significant Symbol
Calum is a significant symbol of innocence in the book and
he represents how the people who are innocent are the
ones who suffer, we know this because Calum is caring of
anyone and anything, always looks positively at life, yet he
has to put up with his physical and mental deformities and
also the fact that people judge him and treat him differently
to anyone else.
