As suggested in the last one, this thread will be about what I think is one of the major themes of the book. Sometimes it seems like no matter where you look you see some mention of this theme. Sometimes it is a well-developed part of the plot and sometimes it's not much more than a sentence.
The plot is riddled with references or inferences to justice. Davy is outraged by Finch and Basca. The fact that no one seems to be willing to bring them to justice is what, I think, ultimately gets under his skin more than he can stand. By kidnapping Swede they violated someone Davy held dear. He responded by violating something they were fond of, a rather rough justice.
Justice for Davy is rather complicated. He's not surprised about the arrest and seems to be prepared for the justice that the jury would soon deliver. Then he decides that he doesn't want to face it and heads out. Since we don't know that much about him yet, it's not clear whether he was planning on doing this all along or whether it was a later development. However, Davy has not been brought to justice and you have to wonder what's going to happen to him.
All the media hoopla over the deaths and trial demonstrates a kind of justice by public opinion. Enger does a good job showing how the various views morphed during the trial. As mentioned in another thread, the letter to Davy that starts, "Dear Butcher," seems extreme but sounds like something an editor might come across in a mail bag. In fact, Davy is neither a poor misunderstood kid, nor a butcher so what is an appropriate punishment? Where's the justice in this situation? I think that Rueben is struggling to find it but he loves his brother and is afraid of what the outcome will be.
What about the healing of the superintendent? On the surface it looks like Jeremiah is being sorely used by fate and self-important men and he just doesn't deserve this grief. On the other hand the superintendent is scum who deserves the face he got. How can the healing of that face be considered justice?
Feel free to add to this thread as we continue through the book.
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4 comments:
Real justice is hard to come by. From a faith perspective, as Jeremiah might view it, it's best to turn the other cheek, which in a way he did to the superintendent (remember his reaction, he was probably thinking he'd cause this man to break by firing him in front of his children, and yet he was the one who fled the room, broken by a truly merciful gesture that he surely knew that he didn't deserve) and let God take care of it. Not that it's easy for anyone, but I'd imagine that kind of divine justice, even when it doesn't seem like real justice, is easier for an adult to cope with than a child, and Davy, still in the in-between stages, hasn't come to grips with what a kind gesture can really provoke in the long run (I bet anything the superintendent regretted his actions the rest of his life after what Jeremiah did for him, and it changed him) versus a cruel gesture that satisfies right now but doesn't teach the lesson that's intended by justice. He subscribes to the justice of revenge. You hurt me, I hurt you back, and we both end up hurting equally, more or less until the weaker one succumbs. I'm not sure if Davy feels he's fleeing justice for his actions or fleeing because he feels his actions were justified in a place where justice for his sister's violation wasn't to be found, but I'd say his flight reflects his age, the fact that people in their adolescent years rarely think beyond the here and now. Justice now, consequences, I can take them, oh wait, maybe I can't, and the doubt is planted. Only through experience can we become truly wise, and if Davy lives through this one he will be wiser than many who have lived twice or thrice his current span of years.
I like that Angela brought up mercy also. It's something that has been on my mind as I've reflected on the topic of justice in this book. Not only does Davy not understand mercy yet and crave the justice he feels he cannon find, but Reuben struggles with his father's (and God's) show of mercy to the superintenent. How often do we have similar reactions in our lives? I think that justice, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, is a primal or human tendancy than mercy. Mercy requires more from us, is more difficult for us to accept and allow. We need to reach beyond our natural selves to find it. Not so say that justice doesn't have it's place at all. I can see justice as being difficult do dole out, but in a different way than mercy.
I recently finished a book where someone in Israel had set off a bomb in a marketplace, and there was speculation that the bomber did so because a loved one of his had been the victim of a previous bombing. Did he feel like he was being just? Justice seems to have many faces and can easily be influenced by bias, though we try so hard to prevent that. It varies from person to person. Mercy on the other hand seems so pure and simple. It just is.
I think what you've said about mercy is very profound. Mercy goes beyond justice. It can be hard to understand, hard to have yourself, and hard to accept.
I am enjoying this discussion about justice and mercy.
As I read this last section of reading, particularly when they set out to find Davy, I have been thinking about what will happen if/when they do find Davy. I can't imagine Jeremiah ignoring the requirements of the law, but I also can't stop hoping that there will be another way. Sadly, I think the family is beyond that point. There won't be a way to get everyone back to the way it was before, and with Davy now run off, I don't know if he'd be satisfied with that anymore either.
As much as we are able to extend mercy to others in our own lives when we've been hurt, the law is the law and it's not very merciful. I was watching a show last night about a man who had been on trial for killing his wife. It was interesting to watch the how the different sides presented their case. What I found most interesting, though, was when some members of the jury were interviewed after the trial. The man had been found guilty. One of the jurors said, "We gave the man 110%. We wanted to find him not guilty. We didn't want to think that he could have done such a thing." In light of this discussion about justice and mercy, while the law deals with justice, there is still a human component in that process. And even though the jury could not extend mercy to this man on trial or even find him not guilty when they determined he was guilty, they worked as hard as they could (they were in deliberations for several days) to see if there was any reasonable doubt. There wasn't mercy (in the sense of forgiving the offense), there was justice, but there was also compassion.
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