The Scarlet Pimpernel and Rhetoric

As a writer, I like to find small tools that keep a story running. In the case of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the rhetoric keeps the story flowing. Conversations and inside messages made the reader understand to read between the lines and focus on what is said and done in different forms of interest. Percy Blakeney and Marguerite play with words while creating a persona of rich people who constantly attend parties. Behind the scenes however, they are part of a secret society of aristocrats called the "League of the Scarlet Pimpernel" which rescues their French people from executions, common occurrences during the French Revolution. The Scarlet Pimpernel himself is a specific hero who signs his actions with a drawing of a pimpernel. It's amazing how a dangerous game is played with clever and well hidden words.