31 pages • 1 hour read
Robb WhiteDeathwatch
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 12-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 12 Summary
Ben reaches the bottom of the butte and then works his way closer to Madec’s camp. He covers his tracks in the sand and then begins digging a hole. Once he believes it is deep enough, he lies in it and covers himself with sand, using tubes of rubber he found with the slingshot to provide air to breathe and a means of hearing what is going on above him. He realizes how vulnerable he is in this spot and worries about all of the things that could go wrong.
Chapter 13 Summary
Ben continues to worry about his vulnerabilities while he waits to hear Madec wake in the morning and return to climbing the butte. He hears Madec begin hammering and pushes his head up from the sand to see Madec on the butte. He then makes his way to the Jeep, where he sees his rifle. He looks back at the butte to confirm that Madec’s rifle is at the base of the wall. Ben gets to the Jeep, grabs his rifle, and takes aim at Madec’s rifle before he realizes the bolt of his rifle is missing, making it useless. He searches the Jeep for the bolt with no success. He decides he can just drive off in the Jeep but discovers the keys for the Jeep are missing. He does not feel confident about hotwiring the Jeep and finds the rotor is also missing. Ben then decides he will lure Madec toward him so that he can use the slingshot to subdue him. He uses the lamp oil to set fire to Madec’s tent and sleeping bag, which creates smoke and explodes the grill. Madec hears the explosion and climbs down the butte before running back to the camp where Ben is waiting with the slingshot ready.
Chapter 14 Summary
Ben keeps Madec in his sights as he rushes back to camp, and Ben uses the slingshot to shoot the rifle out of his right hand. Madec is startled and reaches for his rifle. Ben uses the slingshot again and again to keep Madec from getting his rifle. Ben gets Madec’s rifle and restrains Madec before putting him in the Jeep. Madec is quiet for a while, but he begins persuading Ben to follow his plan again as they drive themselves and the dead man to the sheriff’s office. Ben refuses to lie about what has happened.
Chapters 12-14 Analysis
In the climax of the physical struggle between Ben and Madec, the roles are reversed when Ben takes action and catches Madec in a vulnerable position. The obstacles Ben faces in executing his plan creates suspense and illustrates Ben’s growth in accepting reality and moving forward. Ben now knows he cannot be passive any longer and he must attack Madec or die.
It is uncharacteristic of Madec to be in a vulnerable position, as the narrator notes, “There was no way to outwit this man Madec” (50). Still, Ben uses his intellect and outmaneuvers Madec, even overcoming the superior rifle with his slingshot. This moment is reminiscent of the biblical David and Goliath, wherein the child David overcame the giant Goliath using only a slingshot and a stone.
Madec remains true to his character and seeks a solution by bribing his way out of trouble. Ben also remains true to his character and declines the bribes. Ben’s consistency is notable because it reveals that, despite his transformation from being hopeful and idealistic to accepting reality, Ben’s core set of beliefs and ways of conducting himself remain unchanged.
At the same time, Madec remains unrepentant. The narrator explains, “During all this Madec only stared at him. It was not a look of anger; or of defeat, or of fear, it was a steady, cold, intelligent probing” (159). This description of Madec signals that, although the physical struggle between Ben and Madec is over, Madec is not finished waging war on Ben. With Madec’s return to attempting to bribe Ben, the story shifts from the physical struggle in the desert to a rhetorical struggle in the sheriff’s office.
