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1-Page Summary of The Lords Of Discipline

Overall Summary

The Lords of Discipline, a novel by Pat Conroy that was published in 1980, depicts four years at an all-male military college. The book begins with the protagonist explaining to the reader his reasons for writing about the Institute (his alma mater). He does not intend to engage in rose-tinted nostalgia but rather show his mixed feelings about this complicated and corrupt school that made him a man.

In the first part, titled “The Cadre,” we are introduced to a military college in Charleston, South Carolina. The main character is Will, who has survived his freshman year and is now a senior at the school. He’s been chosen to address the freshmen on honor and integrity. Pearce, the only black student at this military college (the Institute), was placed with him by administrators because they feared that he would be subject to racist violence.

Will’s roommates return to campus and Will goes to a party at Tradd St. Croix’s house, where he meets Annie Kate Gervais, who is pregnant but doesn’t want anyone in Charleston society to know about it.

Will is able to establish a relationship with Pearce, but the year takes a dark turn when Poteete has a nervous breakdown. He attempts suicide by jumping off of an Institute building, but fails. After this attempt he hangs himself and his words about being taken to a mysterious house continue to haunt Will.

In the second section of the novel, Will flashes back to his time at West Point. He was recruited by a university on scholarship and was introduced to military training within minutes of arriving on campus. The upperclassmen beat him up and he did not take naturally to military training. Since most students were from wealthy families, they had an advantage over him because they came from well-bred backgrounds. His background is different as he is Irish Catholic with few means; while others are Protestant and come from moneyed families. However, he still manages to survive Hell Night, a school tradition in which plebes (first year cadets) are terrorized and beaten for supposedly being weak candidates who need to be driven out of the academy. This leads him into friendships with Tradd, whose effete ways make him something of an outsider like Will; Pig and Mark—two Northerners who stand out for their honesty and good humor; along with other friends that will help them through tough times later in life when they have already been accepted into West Point Academy.

The novel jumps back to Will’s senior year, when he and Annie Kate become intimate. During his final semesters at the Institute, Will feels a bond with his classmates as they receive their rings, and plays a triumphant basketball game against VMI. However, after the game, he discovers that Pearce has been targeted by The Ten.

In the final section, Conroy returns to Will’s relationship with Annie Kate. At a gathering of Charleston’s elite and Institute cadets, Annie Kate calls him saying she is having her baby. He rushes over to help but the baby is stillborn; after this harrowing event, Annie Kate cuts off all contact with Will.

Will is becoming more suspicious of The Ten, believing that they are now a threat to Pearce. He contacts an old roommate who dropped out in plebe year, Bobby Bentley, who recounts that The Ten doused him in gasoline and threatened to ignite him if he didn’t leave the Institute. Bobby names one of his attackers as Dan Molligen. Mark, Will and Pig kidnap Molligen and threaten him until he agrees to tell them about The Ten. He reveals that the group uses General Durrell’s house for their torture sessions. Will goes back into school and finds that Pearce is missing. He goes to General Durrell’s house and finds Pearce tied up with other cadets electrocuting him while receiving orders from someone on the phone telling them when not to shock Pearce anymore because someone has come looking for him (Will). With help from Mark and Pig, Will fights off members of The Ten but not before several explosions occur at different parts of the school which forces everyone outside where they are met by police cars which take everyone away including Will and Pearce; presumably arresting them all due to the chaos caused by these explosions at West Point Academy.