Captains of the Sands

What were the experiences that shaped Legless and his personality?

Legless entered this world alone. He never had the benefit of a mother or a father. Never had the benefit of kind words or the security of love. If this was not enough, Legless also had the misfortune of a physical defect. He had a lame leg and, because of that, he walked with a limb. His godfather raised him for a short time, but the only attention he received was punishment. Punishment that was not deserved, the worst kind of punishment. Love and the attachment to warmth and affection were nonexistent. The cruelty that was practiced upon Legless formulated his despair. He ran away as soon as he was able to understand that running way would set him free. But, freedom never came. He was caught in a continuing cycle of poverty and hatred. The city and societal loathing for abandoned children only increased his misery.

Street life was no better for Legless. The one event that shaped his hate more than others was the brutality inflicted upon him by the police. The shame of being abused and laughed at would trouble him for the rest of his life. His nightmares and sleepless nights were the effects of this abuse. His psyche was fractured. Legless was only a child and the feelings of weakness and helplessness would never cease to influence and haunt his existence. The men in the police station were strong and Legless weak. The horrors inflicted here would create the baseline of his hatred.

Legless could not turn to religion to ease his pain. He “did not believe in anything” and especially a religion that allowed his pain to continue without any recourse. He was skeptical of Lollipop’s faith and the power of idols. Legless saw the world for what it was: survival of the fittest. People treated the abandoned children like animals and wanted at all costs to hide them from their eyes. The belief that heaven would provide the warmth and equality that “real” life failed in providing did not alleviate the pain and, therefore, religion was no use to him. He did not have the patience to wait for justice. Legless wanted immediate love. Why, should he have to wait until death to seek equality? This permeated his thinking.

Legless was a spy. This job helped him carry out his revenge on the rich. He saw that people only helped him out of a sense of duty. There was no warmth or compassion in there actions. People did this out of a sense of remorse. This fact made Legless even hate society more. The people living in upper city had food, comfort, love, and money all of the things the children lacked. Stealing from the rich provided a way of recourse and a sense of satisfaction. Hate filled his body and soul. Revenge provided great joy and happiness. However, when he entered the home of Dona Ester his feeling of revenge changed somewhat. For the first time he had the love of a mother. The “soft caress of the kiss” a mother’s caress brought warmth into his soul. The family treated him like a son and provided the needed affection that was missing during his entire life. But, his hate prevented him from staying. He reflected upon the injustice living this way. The gang was still in rags and living in utter poverty. The children were all victims and he could not abandon them. The scene when he breaks down and sobs holding Dona Ester asking for forgiveness was touching but sad at the same time. This tension between a mother’s love and the love of the gang provided an illuminating example of his loyalty. But also shows how deep his hatred influenced his decision-making.

Legless informs the reader right before his suicide his worldview. He hates the police chasing him the way he hates the whole world, because he was never able to have any love. “And the day he had it, he was obliged to leave it, because life had already marked him too much. He’d never had the happiness of a child. He’d become a man before he was ten years old in order to struggle for the most miserable of loves: the life of an abandoned child.”

I felt the deepest sympathy towards Legless’s character. His life never had a chance. His experiences and environment shaped his personality and created the hatred that drove his existence. Being just a child and seeing first hand the cruelty of poverty and exploitation of humanity is unbearable for a child. The question that needs to be asked is would Legless been different if he had a family and the love that engulfs such a relationship. I think the answer would be yes. This character sheds light on the importance of family, but more importantly the love that is provided by a mother. All of the children had the longing for love and especially from a woman. The norms and values that arise from such a relationship are so important for a child in forming a personality.

He turned to stealing because of the injustices of the city. His loyalty to the gang was influenced by the love the gang showed him. This was the only sense of comfort he had in his life. In the darkest hours of the night the sounds of weakness and longing for love instilled the hatred in his soul. Legless was a prisoner of this world.