Green Plaid
We left off with an overview of the twins, Nicholas Benedict and Ledroptha Curtain. In today’s blog, I would like to dive a bit further into each of their personalities, their similarities and differences, their weaknesses and strengths. Benedict and his counterpart are both geniuses, a fact that, in the first book, has yet to be widely recognized. They are described as identical to one another in physicality, and the ending of the first book also confirms that their brains work in near-identical ways. This is confirmed by Curtain’s supercomputer, which we will discuss further in following posts. Another genetic similarity between the brothers is they are both diagnosed with narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of drowsiness. On a more superficial level, Benedict and Curtain both choose to wear green plaid suits, and both enjoy chess.
Apart from the most visible difference, which we’ll call unique career paths instead of one embarking on a mission of total villainy that results in the near enslavement of the modern world, the way the brothers vary most is their handling of situations. What I mean by this is Benedict is known for his tendency for humor. He laughs deeply and often, and his unique sense of humor and healthy amount of optimism leave him seeing the joy in every situation. He finds the children in the series very amusing (while still respecting them fully), including Constance Contraire, a character whose sarcasm and snide comments leave many people annoyed with her. Not Nicholas Benedict. Narcolepsy, at least in their cases, is triggered by strong emotion, so he will frequently laugh himself to sleep. This does not stop him.
Curtain, on the other hand, always acts in anger. Anything angers him. He snaps at everyone around him and reels at the slightest insult. We are unsurprised when, in book 3, we learn that Curtain has even ordered his henchmen be beaten for laughing at him when he falls asleep. This anger leads him to an obsession with control. His driving motivation for the events of the series is, in fact, control; he attempts to control all those around him, and his plan for world domination is an obvious grab for power and control. Benedict lets things be as they are and appreciates them for it, but Curtain believes only he truly understands how things should be.
The twins’ contrasting personalities dictate the reactions of those around them. Benedict is beloved by those close to him, and Curtain is widely detested. It’s impossible that these reactions don’t further affect the two brothers’ actions. In my next blog, we will dive into the backstories of the brothers and how their pasts led them to where the are now. For now, I leave you with this. All siblings are unique! All siblings have their differences. It’s only that most siblings aren’t fighting over the fate of all humanity.