Journal 2

Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire, Books 3 - 4: Chapters 12 - 17: Pages 121 - 186

• Chapter 12: Xeones is made aware of the fate of Leonidas after the battle: Leonidas' body was beheaded and crucified. Because of this, he refuses to tell his story for a time, until he is persuaded to continue. He introduces a slave named Rooster, the bastard son of a Spartan, who has great contempt for the gods and for the Spartans, and who has a girlfriend whom he got pregnant. Alexandros admits that he hated seeing the battle, and is put through rigorous verbal abuse, especially by Polynikes, who feels himself above everybody else. Dienekes, however, tells Alexandros not to take it personally.
• Chapter 13: The important part of this chapter is the conversation between Xeones and Arete, Dienekes' wife. They discuss the journey to follow the army and the way back, and Alexandros as a Spartan. She also introduces him to the krypteia, a secret society of Spartans who assassinate the Helot whom they deem to need it. They discuss the reasons for Xeones being so loyal to Lakedaemon - Sparta - without having been born there. Arete reveals that the father of the bastard son Rooster is her brother - the brother of the wife of a high ranking Spartiate officer. He promises to look over Rooster.
• Chapter 14: Xeones and Alexandros receive their proper whippings for sneaking out to follow the army. Rooster helps Xeo's stripes heal by dunking him in water, and then Alexandros comes with a stolen piece of myrrh which helps heal. Dienekes comes and threatens Rooster, then assigns him to be the squire of Olympieus, and tells Xeones that he will be Dienekes' second squire, and he gives Xeo back his bow.
• Chapter 15: Over the next five years the Spartans march out on twenty-one battles. Darius of Persia dies, and all Greece thinks the Persian threat is done. Then Xerxes comes to power and phobos - fear - is rekindled. Throughout these years Xeones keeps trying to make contact with his cousin, but unsuccessfully. Finally he vows to stop searching, and he marries a Spartan woman. Alexandros has children, as does Rooster, but Dienekes has no male heirs. Finally, the word is put out that a stand would be made at The Hot Gates - Thermopylae. The Three Hundred King's Companions would be the forward party, in effect making the stand, which is known to all to be a suicide mission because only men with male heirs were in the Three Hundred King's Companions. These are sent so that when they die, their family name will live on. Dienekes does not have a male heir, and thus can not go.
• Chapter 16: Twice the honor of being a near-Spartan was offered to Rooster. Twice he turned it down, because he considered himself Messenian. Because of this, he cannot be picked either for the Hot Gates. Also, for spurning their honor, the Spartan kypteia ambushes Rooster in his home with his wife and children while he confers with Alexandros and Xeones about running away. All are hauled off by the krypteia.
• Chapter 17: At the meeting of the krypteia, it is judged that Rooster and his wife and male infant son must die. However, the lady Arete steps in and defends the babe. She claims that the young male is not the offspring of Rooster and his wife, but of her husband Dienekes and Rooster's wife. After much arguing, this is proven to be correct. As the krypteia, astonished, go to kill Rooster, Alexandros proposes that it would be more beneficial to Sparta if Rooster should be allowed to go to the Persians rather than be executed, lest he be considered a martyr. This is done.

• The more I read this book the more and more I like it. Pressfield makes this thing seriously real to me, and I can really relate to the characters. When Rooster was arguing with the krypteia and trying to convince them to kill him but not his child, I was really scared for what would happen. This is a great book.
• This book is far easier to understand than anything we've read in class. I'm sorry Ms. Rickard, but this is the first book I've read since joining your class that I can completely understand. Pressfield uses Greek words and terms, but manages to simplify his text, not to the point of being childish, but it is understandable.
• I'm feeling something of a theme of redemption, revenge, but also forgiveness in this book. Xeones' only purpose for going to Sparta and becoming a helot is to take revenge on the cities who destroyed his hometown. However, as he goes about the agoge serving Alexandros, he sees many times somebody being forgiven. As an example, Alexandros helping Rooster tend to their backs.
• The only seriously important new character in this section is Rooster. Rooster hates the Spartans, and is almost an antihero to Xeones. Whereas Xeo is pro-Spartans and something of an idealist, Rooster provides a realists look at the world, and an anti-Spartan look.