In The Swan, Peter Watson is a 13-year-old kid who often gets bullied by Ernie and Raymond, two kids bigger than him. Rupert Friend and Asa Jennings play Peter Watson.
Peter Watson has a small, frail body, freckles on his face, and he wears spectacles with thick lenses. He is considered a brilliant student and is ahead of many kids his age. He is already in senior class at his school, though he is just 13.
He is not good at games and is quiet and polite. Hence, he attracts more bullies toward him. Raymond and Ernie have bullied him before. They find him alone on a Saturday morning in May, staring at a green woodpecker through his binoculars.
Ernie had received a rifle as a birthday gift, and apart from making the most of it, he and his best friend, Raymond, decided to have fun with little Peter.
The pain inflicted upon Peter
Ernie and Raymond put Peter through hell. They first tie his legs and hands and place him in the middle of the railway track. Peter survives the passing of the train by pushing the gravel his head is lying on inside and tucking his feet pigeon-toed.
Ernie and Raymond next take Peter near a lake and plan to throw him over muddy reeds, but a white swan grabs their attention. Ernie shoots the white swan down, despite Peter’s pleas.
Peter is made to wear the wings of the swan cut by Ernie. When they find a tall willow tree, Ernie instructs Peter to climb the tree and take off with his wings. Ernie starts shooting at Peter from a distance to force him to jump.
Peter’s endurance
According to Roald Dahl, some people, when they have been driven beyond the point of endurance, simply crumble, collapse, and give up. Ernie is not one of those. He is one of the people who will always be inconquerable; they have an indomitable spirit. Neither pain nor torture nor the threat of death will cause them to give up.
Peter struggles to hang on the branch of the tree until he sees a bright light on the lake that draws him in. He dives towards the light and spreads his wings.
Three different people report seeing a great white swan circling over the village that morning. Ms. Watson watches something big and white crash onto her lawn. It’s her son. However, the film never reveals if Peter survives or not.
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