Major Issues:
The central issue within this novel is racial discrimination and justice/injustice. Right off the bat the first line of the novel discussing the two criminals describes them as “rednecks”(Grisham, 1). A derogatory term used for white folks, who are often poor, country like, traditional and racist. Regardless of that, Grisham was very effective in making use of the term itself because it shows that race and or racial groups matter in this novel from the very first page. Further into the novel Jake Brigance, Hailey’s lawyer while at a press conference, directly addresses the issue of race as well as injustice. Brigance speaks from a script that Hailey wrote himself:
He talked of a family wrecked by racism and hatred…he tore into …show more content…
An example of one of the prime allusions used in the book was the common references to the civil rights movement. One of the first times this reference is made is when the Klu Klux Klan burns a cross on Brigance’s front lawn and Sheriff Ozzie tries to explain why it could have happened: “It’s a warning, means stop what you’re doin’, or next time we’ll do more than burn a little wood. They used these things for years to intimidate whites who were sympathetic to niggers and all that civil rights crap” (Grisham, 183). The “civil rights crap” in this sense is a reference to when the blacks had a civil rights movement to fight for their freedoms. This connects well to the theme of the novel, which is racial discrimination, and Grisham’s subtle racial history remarks such as this allusion help give the reader a better insight as to what the theme is.
Another literary device, although more like literary technique used is dialogue. Grisham heavily bases much of the main events, if not 90% of the novel, off of strong, concise dialogue. For example, the dialogue between the district attorney, Rufus Burkely and his key witness:
Burkley: “ How did you react when you learned that the girl’s father had supposedly done the shooting?”
DA’s Key Witness: “It was no big surprise to me. I mean we all sort of figured it was him. I admired …show more content…
For starters the way the novel is written especially within the first few chapters where Grisham starts chapter one from the redneck perspectives and then switches to the blacks and so on and so forth. This was an effective start to the novel because it segregated both sides from the get go therefore setting the tone for the novel. Moving forward, the biggest point of view that becomes evident is whether or not Carl Lee Hailey was right or wrong to murder the two men that sexually abused his young daughter. This is why even before the trail starts, Brigance harps over “choosing the right jury”. For example, take Rufus Buckley; he himself states during the trial, “If people like Carl Lee Hailey were allowed to short circuit the system and dispense justice according to their own terms…it would be a lawless society in which vigilantes roamed at will” (Grisham, 509). It is evident here that Buckley has the strong belief that Carl Lee was in the wrong and regardless of what the two men did, they deserved to live and Hailey deserved the gas chamber. This perspective was among many people sat in that courtroom and believed justice should have been solely handled by the justice system. This is ironic because all of those same people including Buckley know justice would not have been served against the two white men regardless of what Hailey did so in hindsight he has reason to do
The central issue within this novel is racial discrimination and justice/injustice. Right off the bat the first line of the novel discussing the two criminals describes them as “rednecks”(Grisham, 1). A derogatory term used for white folks, who are often poor, country like, traditional and racist. Regardless of that, Grisham was very effective in making use of the term itself because it shows that race and or racial groups matter in this novel from the very first page. Further into the novel Jake Brigance, Hailey’s lawyer while at a press conference, directly addresses the issue of race as well as injustice. Brigance speaks from a script that Hailey wrote himself:
He talked of a family wrecked by racism and hatred…he tore into …show more content…
An example of one of the prime allusions used in the book was the common references to the civil rights movement. One of the first times this reference is made is when the Klu Klux Klan burns a cross on Brigance’s front lawn and Sheriff Ozzie tries to explain why it could have happened: “It’s a warning, means stop what you’re doin’, or next time we’ll do more than burn a little wood. They used these things for years to intimidate whites who were sympathetic to niggers and all that civil rights crap” (Grisham, 183). The “civil rights crap” in this sense is a reference to when the blacks had a civil rights movement to fight for their freedoms. This connects well to the theme of the novel, which is racial discrimination, and Grisham’s subtle racial history remarks such as this allusion help give the reader a better insight as to what the theme is.
Another literary device, although more like literary technique used is dialogue. Grisham heavily bases much of the main events, if not 90% of the novel, off of strong, concise dialogue. For example, the dialogue between the district attorney, Rufus Burkely and his key witness:
Burkley: “ How did you react when you learned that the girl’s father had supposedly done the shooting?”
DA’s Key Witness: “It was no big surprise to me. I mean we all sort of figured it was him. I admired …show more content…
For starters the way the novel is written especially within the first few chapters where Grisham starts chapter one from the redneck perspectives and then switches to the blacks and so on and so forth. This was an effective start to the novel because it segregated both sides from the get go therefore setting the tone for the novel. Moving forward, the biggest point of view that becomes evident is whether or not Carl Lee Hailey was right or wrong to murder the two men that sexually abused his young daughter. This is why even before the trail starts, Brigance harps over “choosing the right jury”. For example, take Rufus Buckley; he himself states during the trial, “If people like Carl Lee Hailey were allowed to short circuit the system and dispense justice according to their own terms…it would be a lawless society in which vigilantes roamed at will” (Grisham, 509). It is evident here that Buckley has the strong belief that Carl Lee was in the wrong and regardless of what the two men did, they deserved to live and Hailey deserved the gas chamber. This perspective was among many people sat in that courtroom and believed justice should have been solely handled by the justice system. This is ironic because all of those same people including Buckley know justice would not have been served against the two white men regardless of what Hailey did so in hindsight he has reason to do