Ken Follett on the Young Cast and Their Story Arcs in The Pillars of the Earth
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Martha Builder, Alfred's little sister, is the rock that anchors him. Cruel or kind, drunk or sober, success or failure, he's Martha's brother and she stands by him with a loyalty worthy of someone better. But Martha has also caused some of the deep strife between Alfred and Jack because it was she, not Alfred, who stole the Phoenix ring. It was done not from hatred but through unrequited love. Martha has always seen what Jack feels for Aliena; she knows he's never seen that she feels that way for him, so the ring is the only part of Jack she'll ever own. After Jack and Alfred's destructive confrontation on the cathedral worksite, it's too late for her to put things right. Yet despite the trouble her theft has caused, it's Martha's continued possession of this vital piece of evidence that saves Jack in the end. Martha is played by young Skye Bennett.
Jonathan—or 'Brother Jonathan' as he proudly styles himself even at the age of 8—is, like Jack's Phoenix ring, a connection to someone lost. When Tom's wife Agnes died in childbirth deep in the winter woods, there was no way to feed her newborn son, and Tom abandoned the baby to quick death by exposure rather than slow death by starvation. His act of ruthless kindness brought about redemption for the bandit known as Johnny Eightpence, whose earlier theft of Tom's pig, the only source of food for the family, led in a roundabout way to Agnes's death. Seizing this chance to do something good, Johnny becomes a monk and fosters the child at Kingsbridge Priory. It's Jonathan's presence that makes Tom want to stay, without either work or pay. Brother Jonathan is played wonderfully by young Sydney Johnston.
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Jonathan—or 'Brother Jonathan' as he proudly styles himself even at the age of 8—is, like Jack's Phoenix ring, a connection to someone lost. When Tom's wife Agnes died in childbirth deep in the winter woods, there was no way to feed her newborn son, and Tom abandoned the baby to quick death by exposure rather than slow death by starvation. His act of ruthless kindness brought about redemption for the bandit known as Johnny Eightpence, whose earlier theft of Tom's pig, the only source of food for the family, led in a roundabout way to Agnes's death. Seizing this chance to do something good, Johnny becomes a monk and fosters the child at Kingsbridge Priory. It's Jonathan's presence that makes Tom want to stay, without either work or pay. Brother Jonathan is played wonderfully by young Sydney Johnston.
Next blog: Why were cathedrals built?
Previous blog: The importance of cathedrals in the story
More on The Pillars of the Earth
Exclusive Q&A: Rufus Sewell leaves the dark side
Everything you need to know about The Pillars of the Earth miniseries
Your reading guide to The Pillars of the Earth
Oprah interviews Ken Follett
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