Character Analysis
Shut Up Helmud
"There but for the grace of God, Helmud. That could be you in there," he says.
"You in there," Helmud says.
"Shut up, Helmud."
"Shut up." (18.21)
What on earth do we think of Helmud, the boy attached to El Capitan's back? As tragic as a character he is, how can we not find some twisted sense of comic relief when Helmud speaks? All Helmud can do is speak a few words at a time, cry, and twiddle his hands nervously. But when he does something, it draws our attention right away.
Sometimes, Helmud will just repeat a random word that El Capitan says. But other times, it seems like Helmud is choosing what words he thinks are significant. It seemed a bit odd when he repeated "bloodthirsty," which was the word that triggered the Special Forces during The Game (25.125).
And what about when Helmud doesn't speak when you'd expect him to? When El Capitan, Lyda, and Bradwell are fighting the Special Forces, Helmud was able to take out a piece of thread made of wool and human hair, and choke out a soldier:
El Capitan pulls the string out with one hand and holds it—a bloody thing, now clotted with flesh. He remembers all the times he told Helmud to stop his nervous fiddling, that old agitated motion he made behind his neck. "Helmud," he says, "did you make this so you could kill me?"
And this time, Helmud doesn't repeat his brother's final words. His silence means yes. (55.36)
So pay attention to what Helmud says; this kid knows what he's doing.