The Runaway Jury, written by John Grisham, was copyrighted in 1996 and has 401 pages. The book is a courtroom thriller that centers on the selection of a jury for a landmark tobacco case in Biloxi, Mississippi where plaintiff Celeste Woods is suing a tobacco company called Pynex for her husband’s death. Rankin Fitch, a consultant working for Pynex, works to sway the jury through illegal means and even purchase the verdict. During the trial, a woman named Marlee begins to predict the actions of the jury, giving Fitch secret information such as what the jurors will be wearing in the courtroom. Because Fitch is desperate to win the case, he agrees to a deal with Marlee, believing that she can deliver the verdict he wants. However, it is later
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In the courtroom, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Wendall Rohr, focuses on addiction and the dangers of the cigarettes, using emotional appeals to sway the jury. Lawrence Krigler is among the witnesses who claim that tobacco companies create addictive and harmful products to increase profits. Leon Robilio, another witness and victim of throat cancer, reveals the industry’s dirty secrets, including how tobacco companies try to get teenagers addicted to cigarettes and “…it was well known that all tobacco companies kept nicotine at high levels to ensure addiction” (231). Defense attorney Durwood Cable focuses on how Mr. Woods’ own choices, not cigarettes, killed him. The defense’s witnesses make an effort to discredit Krigler and Robilio, bringing up credible witnesses who try to persuade the jury to take their side using statistics. Outside of the courtroom, Fitch applies pressure to several jurors including Lonnie Shaver, a grocery store manager, whose role with a new purchasing company is uncertain unless he votes for the tobacco corporations. In addition, Fitch orchestrates a break-in of Nicholas’ house, but Nicholas catches him with his security camera installed in a vent. As Nicholas makes this known to Judge Harkin, he requires a sequestering of the jury to avoid tampering. Later, Hoppy, the husband of a juror, is conned …show more content…
Fitch is willing to pay her for the verdict, as “She and her friend Easter or whatever the hell his name was had patiently stalked Big Tobacco to reach this point, and they would happily hand over a verdict” (257). Still, it is not clear why she is choosing to deal with Fitch, and it is not until after the last chapter that the reader understands that she wants to humiliate him as revenge for her parents’ deaths. It is ironic how Fitch believes “She has worked too hard and had come too far with their plot to fail” (257) to hand him the verdict, because she is about to do the exact opposite. This part is especially exciting because it was already revealed that Marlee and Nicholas are working together, and it was interesting trying to piece together how and why they are doing so. Grisham’s use of a third-person narrative and his seamless transitions between multiple story lines creates an air of suspense; he moves from Nicholas’ mysterious motive in the jury box, to the Marlee and Fitch dynamic, to Hoppy’s run-in with the fake FBI. He does not use superfluous sentences, but rather keeps things short and to the point, allowing the reader to easily connect with each character and idea. His characters are well thought-out and very
In the courtroom, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Wendall Rohr, focuses on addiction and the dangers of the cigarettes, using emotional appeals to sway the jury. Lawrence Krigler is among the witnesses who claim that tobacco companies create addictive and harmful products to increase profits. Leon Robilio, another witness and victim of throat cancer, reveals the industry’s dirty secrets, including how tobacco companies try to get teenagers addicted to cigarettes and “…it was well known that all tobacco companies kept nicotine at high levels to ensure addiction” (231). Defense attorney Durwood Cable focuses on how Mr. Woods’ own choices, not cigarettes, killed him. The defense’s witnesses make an effort to discredit Krigler and Robilio, bringing up credible witnesses who try to persuade the jury to take their side using statistics. Outside of the courtroom, Fitch applies pressure to several jurors including Lonnie Shaver, a grocery store manager, whose role with a new purchasing company is uncertain unless he votes for the tobacco corporations. In addition, Fitch orchestrates a break-in of Nicholas’ house, but Nicholas catches him with his security camera installed in a vent. As Nicholas makes this known to Judge Harkin, he requires a sequestering of the jury to avoid tampering. Later, Hoppy, the husband of a juror, is conned …show more content…
Fitch is willing to pay her for the verdict, as “She and her friend Easter or whatever the hell his name was had patiently stalked Big Tobacco to reach this point, and they would happily hand over a verdict” (257). Still, it is not clear why she is choosing to deal with Fitch, and it is not until after the last chapter that the reader understands that she wants to humiliate him as revenge for her parents’ deaths. It is ironic how Fitch believes “She has worked too hard and had come too far with their plot to fail” (257) to hand him the verdict, because she is about to do the exact opposite. This part is especially exciting because it was already revealed that Marlee and Nicholas are working together, and it was interesting trying to piece together how and why they are doing so. Grisham’s use of a third-person narrative and his seamless transitions between multiple story lines creates an air of suspense; he moves from Nicholas’ mysterious motive in the jury box, to the Marlee and Fitch dynamic, to Hoppy’s run-in with the fake FBI. He does not use superfluous sentences, but rather keeps things short and to the point, allowing the reader to easily connect with each character and idea. His characters are well thought-out and very