The devious Grisini in Splendors and Glooms could probably write a book on how to successfully manipulate people. He is only a magician because he tricked Cassandra into believing he was in love with her, then he learned all of her tricks and secrets before breaking her heart. He also manipulates the children who live with him, lying to Lizzie Rose about keeping her mother's earrings safe when he has really pawned them. And finally, he's a master at manipulating the distraught parents of missing children for ransom money.
He has no qualms about exploiting the emotionally vulnerable and using his magical powers for evil—which makes him a very, very dangerous man.
Questions About Manipulation
- How does Grisini trick Cassandra into teaching him all about magic? Is manipulation at all like magic?
- What does Grisini tell Cassandra about Lizzie Rose? Is it the truth? Why or why not?
- How does Cassandra entice the children into stealing the phoenix-stone? How does she approach each child, and what does this reveal about manipulation?
Chew on This
Grisini doesn't take in Lizzie Rose and Parsefall because he feels sorry for the orphaned children; he does it so they can work and make him money. The only person Grisini cares about is himself.
When Cassandra calls the children to Strachan's Ghyll to receive their inheritance, she isn't being kind or benevolent. She's manipulating them so she can escape the phoenix-stone's curse by passing it onto a hapless child.