I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier Book Analysis Essay Example

“The car was upon them, sickeningly” (Cormier 199). Thinking that another car was following them, Adam Farmer’s family stopped their car on the side of the highway. It was not until Adam’s father assured Adam and his mother that it was only Gray, their protector assigned to them under the Witness Re-Establishment Program, that the Farmers felt that they were safe. Little did they know, Gray had betrayed them and was about to ultimately end their lives. I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier is a story about a teenage boy, Adam, whose family had gone into hiding as a result of Adam’s father’s testimony against a government-linked criminal organization. The plot is told both in first-person and third-person perspective and alternates between Adam’s bike journey to visit his father in the hospital in Rutterberg, Vermont, and tapes where a government official, Brint, interrogates Adam. However, as Adam starts to discover more about his past, he realizes that his parents are dead and it was Gray who had killed them. The author of I Am the Cheese seeks to convey that people in positions of authority often abuse the trust placed in them by those with less power.

One way that trust can be misused is when powerful individuals wrongly deceive those who are naive. Gray claims to be safeguarding the Farmers from the organization Adam’s father testified against, however, he also has ultimate control over them, as he is their sole protection. Grey saves the Farmers from two attempted murders and allows them to go into hiding, as well as giving them new identities. When a parade with interviews of the residents is scheduled in their town, Gray sends the Farmers on a vacation to prevent anyone from recognizing them. However, Gray's true intention was to track down and kill the Farmers while they were on vacation. “ ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked. ‘Gray called,’ his mother said. ‘An emergency.’ [...] [‘]He said one of his men overheard a conversation on a wiretap in which Monument was mentioned’ [...] [‘]But Gray thought that no chances should be taken. He suggested that we leave for a few days, take a trip, a vacation. Meanwhile, his men will be in town, watching the house, checking out any suspicious developments’ ” (Cormier 177-180). Although Gray claimed to be protecting the Farmers from the organization Adam’s father testified against, his true intent was to acquire more information from Adam's father that he had not revealed in his testimony, and to do so Adam’s family was required to stay alive. After Gray has obtained all of the information he needs from Adam’s father, he waits for the perfect excuse, the parade, to kill the Farmers by luring them into taking a vacation. Gray’s deception of the Farmers shows that powerful people may falsely deceive the helpless when they are given trust.

Even if individuals are aware that more authoritative people are abusing their trust, they are too powerless to intervene. During their conversations, Brint interrogates Adam to gain information about his father and the testimony. Although Adam understands that Brint is not who he says he is, he is forced to tell Brint everything he knows, as it is leading Adam to discover his past. “Advisory #1: Modification of Agency Basic Procedures to eliminate Policy 979 which does not currently allow termination procedures by Department 1-R. Advisory #2: Discontinue suspension of Personnel #2222 and grant full reinstatement [...] Advisory #3: [..]Subject A’s confinement be continued until termination procedures are approved; or (b) Subject A’s condition be sustained until Subject A obliterates” (Cormier 213). Since Adam shared his knowledge with Brint, Brint acted like a father figure to him. Brint, on the other hand, abuses the trust bestowed upon him by petitioning the government to alter the regulations so that he can terminate Adam. Throughout the story, Brint subtly manipulates Adam by assuring him he's merely a guide and avoids Adam's questioning. Adam appears to be aware that Brint is abusing his trust, yet he is reliant on him in order to get memories of his past. Adam’s relationship with Brint demonstrates that even if they are aware, helpless individuals cannot prevent powerful people from abusing their authority.

Ultimately, I Am the Cheese demonstrates how authority persons may abuse trust. Powerful individuals may be dishonest to the defenseless if they have their trust, as shown by Grey's deception of the Farmers in order to assassinate them. Furthermore, the government can be dishonest to the vulnerable. Brint exhibits this when he exploits Adam's trust, who is defenseless. Through I Am the Cheese, Cormier condemns the corrupt government that betrays the citizens it has vowed to protect.