68 pages • 2 hours read

After The First Death

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1979

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Character Analysis

Themes

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Important Quotes

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Part 9Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 9 Summary

While General Markhand waits for Ben to return, he thinks over the night he sent Ben to the bridge to deliver the stone belonging to the operation’s leader. He remembers giving Ben instructions for the meeting and feeling like he held two conversations at once, “one with my son and the other with a member of staff personnel being given an assignment” (190). Though the mission will be dangerous, Ben is eager and willing to go.

In a flashback, General Markhand drives Ben to the Inner Delta headquarters near the bridge. The general is sure Artkin will use a bit of torture, but he convinces himself it will not be too painful for Ben. When they arrive at headquarters, General Markhand receives a phone call that the attack will go on at 9:30. Ben leaves, and his father waits, listening to the audio channel to the van that one of their men established without Artkin’s knowledge. A half hour later, the general hears Ben’s screams as Artkin tortures him.

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Back in the present, General Markhand reads that Ben decided not to go to Brimmler’s Bridge before his father returned. The general knows this is an attempt to throw him off Ben’s trail. He believes Ben has gone to the bridge, and he must go there, too, “before it’s too late” (197).

Part 9 Analysis

General Markhand’s view of Ben during the bus incident shows the different pieces that make up a person. While the incident is in progress, the general plays many roles—military leader and father, among others. He makes decisions based on what is best for those on the bridge, those at Inner Delta, and all those adjacent to the situation. His interactions with Ben show how the different parts of a person coincide. The general views Ben both as his son and as an operative. Doing so allows him to stay distanced from what he is doing to his child. By viewing Ben as another member of Inner Delta, he justifies using him to satisfy Artkin’s demands.

It takes General Markhand quite a while to go to Brimmler’s Bridge, which shows a few things. First, he is afraid of what he might find. Though he is a celebrated military leader who has faced all manner of threats, he feels responsible for what happened to Ben. The general doesn’t want to see what might have resulted from his decision, but he also doesn’t want to face that he is responsible for Ben’s decision to end his life. Second, General Markhand may also be silently giving Ben permission to kill himself. The general understands the horror Ben went through and perhaps wants to let Ben decide how to deal with it.