48 pages • 1 hour read
Andrew Joseph WhiteHell Followed With Us
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Benjamin (Benji)/Seraph
Content Warning: This section discusses violence, anti-trans bias, religious trauma, escape from a cult, and death.
Benji is the protagonist and anti-hero of Hell Followed With Us, as well as the narrator of whom all thoughts and motivations are known. Benji is a dualistic character who carries both strength and fragility, wisdom and naivety, and independence and reliance, all within himself. He was assigned female at birth but has always known that he is a boy, and he chose the name Benji in the process of Staying True to One’s Identity. Benji grew up in a religious cult known as the Angels. The Angels used him as a tool to bring about their Armageddon, refused to accept his chosen identity, and attempted to trap him in their obedience.
Benji leaves New Nazareth with his father, but his father is shot, and only Benji escapes. He is not allowed to grieve the loss, instead being taught that all loss is part of God’s plan. Similarly, he is not allowed to grieve the loss of his own body and the life he may have had; as he slowly transforms into Seraph, a weapon “that will wipe humanity from the earth once and for all, just like God demanded” (15), he fights to maintain his sense of self and the person he is inside. Benji’s body is rotting from the inside, and he is able to control Graces using the virus inside of him. Benji does not yet fully understand What Makes a Monster and views himself as a horrific creation. Benji is determined to control the beast developing inside of him to seek vengeance on the cult that killed his father and turned him into Seraph. Juxtaposed against this “monster within” is Benji’s soft and fragile side, which reaches out for love, pleads for acceptance, and recognizes the beauty in a dystopian world.
When Benji joins the Watch, he undergoes a process of moral adjustment since he has never been around other LGBTQ+ people and has been indoctrinated by the cult for years. Benji has to shake off his fears of being persecuted by God and learn to just exist and live each day as it comes. He witnesses a process of real grief at Trevor’s funeral and stands up for himself when the Vanguard misgenders him. With each day, Benji grows surer of himself and more accepting of his position in life. Alongside Benji’s moral transformation is a physical one: “The fire of Seraph chews through my stomach, and it hurts, but it hurts like growing. Like setting a bone, or popping a joint back into place” (94). Benji has a vision in which he sees himself as Seraph, with “six wings, Death on his pale horse, the monster of the sea and blasphemy, the wrath of the Lamb, the wrath of the Lamb” (153). He reflects on what this means for him as a person: “What kind of monster do I want to be?” (207). He chooses to side with the people he deems “good” and to punish those who destroyed humanity. Benji exacts a violent revenge against the church along with the help of the Watch, Finding Home and Finding Family in the process. He becomes a hero against discrimination, intolerance, and dogma.
Nicholas (Nick)
Nick is the story’s deuteragonist and a complex, dynamic character whose nature and history are slowly revealed as Benji gets to know him. Nick is the first member of the Watch that Benji meets, and Nick almost kills Benji upon seeing him. Nick has a certain calmness about him that extends into the height of conflict and violence, which makes him an excellent leader for the Watch. He tries to be as fair and impartial as possible and fiercely defends his friends with his life. Nick sees potential in Benji as a weapon for their defense against the Angels, and initially does not view Benji as the human boy he is. He refers to Benji as an “it” behind his back and plans to use and then discard him. Benji is naïve and a romantic, almost instantly falling for Nick’s dark, brooding eyes and cool manner, despite the fact that Nick is cold and distant at first. Nick is also on the autism spectrum and does not like touching or discussing emotional subjects, so it takes time and effort for Benji to break through Nick’s tough exterior.
Nick is a former member of the Angels’ death squad, which eventually brings him and Benji closer as they relate over their shared history. After Benji confronts Nick, Nick reflects on his view toward Benji and feels a deep sense of shame and regret. He writes Benji an apology note, gifts him a trans bead lizard, and takes care of Benji when he’s hurt. Nick realizes that he has always seen Benji as a friend but could not reconcile Benji’s changing form with how he felt about him. Nick comes to Benji’s rescue on the day of the wedding, along with the other members of the Watch. Benji and Nick share a bonding moment in the story’s final scene as they look forward to sharing their future together. In this way, Nick fulfills the wish that Benji had from the beginning, which was Finding Home and Finding Family.
The Watch
The Watch is made up several teenagers who are all members of the LGBTQ+ community and who came together at the ALC to fight off the Angels and survive. Some of the more prominent members include Salvador, Erin, Cormac, Aisha, and Faith. Salvador is the most welcoming and open toward Benji and goes by xe/xyr pronouns. Salvador, along with Erin, are the first trans people Benji meets besides himself, and finding them is like Finding Home and Finding Family. Cormac is less welcoming and does not trust Benji at first, and he constantly complains about having to work with someone who is slowly transforming into Seraph. His attitude toward Benji changes when Benji saves Cormac from a Grace during the ALC fire. Erin is an unofficial leader of the ALC and is usually the one to make announcements but also acts as Nick’s closest confidant and friend. Aisha is a skilled sniper who is always at the height of battle, and Faith and Benji connect over their shared confusion toward religion and God. Benji quickly finds that he is accepted and seen for who he is by the Watch, and he does whatever is necessary to prove his loyalty to them. The group gives Benji a way out of the horrible life he had before, and Benji intends to fight alongside them forever.
Theodore (Theo)
Theo is the main antagonist in Benji’s life and the source of conflict that most strongly pushes Benji away from New Nazareth. Benji and Theo were in love and caught having sex, which led the church to force them into marriage. While engaged, Benji confided in Theo about his fears of turning into Seraph, and Theo saw it as a betrayal against the church. As a result, Theo attacked Benji physically, which destroyed Benji’s trust in Theo permanently. However, Benji still loves Theo when he leaves New Nazareth, which is why he is so easily pulled back into Theo’s grasp for a time. Theo is filled with self-hatred and shame after being kicked out of the death squad and is desperate to prove his worth and loyalty to the church. This is his underlying motivation and the main reason he tries to get Benji back.
Theo also harbors a sick and possessive love toward Benji, and he hopes to marry Benji someday. When Benji returns to New Nazareth, he sees Theo differently and no longer wants anything to do with him. Theo tries to coax Benji back into a relationship, but Benji has found new strength in his new family and no longer needs Theo or the church. Benji also realizes that he and Theo have nothing in common: “We exist in two entirely different versions of the world” (385). While Theo puts all his devotion into the church and the possibility of an afterlife, Benji focuses on the present. In the story’s climax, Theo injects himself with a version of the Flood virus that transforms him into a creature called Dominion. He and Benji engage in a battle before Benji stabs Theo and then Nick shoots him.
Benji’s Mother
Benji’s mother is a static character who maintains her hateful and narrow perspective until her death in the story’s climax. Regarding What Makes a Monster, Benji sees his mother as the true monster, who not only does not accept his transness but also volunteered Benji to the cult’s movement. Unlike a mother who loves her child, Benji’s mother puts the cult’s ideals and goals first and does not care about her son’s welfare. She also does not view him as an autonomous person who can determine his own identity, instead referring to him by his dead name and forcing him to wear a dress. Benji’s mother also ordered her own husband killed when she found out that he was planning to betray the church. She acts with pity and arrogance, and even though she is outwardly beautiful, she is ugly on the inside. When Benji finds his mother killed by one of the Watch snipers, he does not grieve her nor feel sorrow; instead, he sees it as a fitting end for a woman who saw life on earth as just a means to an end.
Sister Kipling
Sister Kipling is a dynamic character who does not play a major role in the plot but who did play a major role in its inception. Sister Kipling lives in New Nazareth and works as the scientist who created the Flood virus. She also enacted a program designed to test a more powerful version of the Flood virus on subjects to see if any of them would be able to survive it, thus transforming into Seraph. Benji’s mother volunteered him for the program, and Sister Kipling was responsible for making it a reality. Sister Kipling changes her view of the religion, the virus, and Benji upon seeing him in his transformed state. She recognizes that she created a monster and took away Benji’s chance at an ordinary life. Sister Kipling also admits that she believes that every Angel is going to Hell and that the cult’s decision to destroy humanity was a mistake. She changes from someone who commands authority into someone who is timid and frightened, and her loyalty shifts to Benji in the end.
