A brief summary:
In this short chapter the narrative switches back to the
past; this time to more events and to a violent episode from Jack’s time in
prison. Initially it is not clear what is happening, only that Jack (cleverly
named A in this chapter to remind the reader of his heinous crime) has a ‘muggy
certitude that he was in trouble’.
What transpires is that Jack is the victim of some kind of
act of prison revenge. A more seasoned inmate is bent on killing him in order
to gain retribution against the screws who put his cousin into a cell with
racists who killed him. The anonymous man is determined to avenge his cousin’s
death and this ‘new nearness to death provokes a fresh terror’ in Jack’s who
begins to lose consciousness as his throat is strangled.
As Jack feels himself ‘weakening’ a door opens a ‘bright
light’ comes ‘washing in’ in the shape of three prison officers who rescue him
from the grip of his attacker. Jack considers the men to be ‘Guardian Angels’
who have saved him from certain death. The irony of this description is not lost
on the reader.
Points to consider:
- What kind of impression is the reader given of life in prison? Do these conditions help to reform offenders or are they more likely to make criminal worse?
- This chapter relies heavily on swear words to create a sense of realism. How do you feel about this use of profanity? Is it justified in the service of authenticity or is it unnecessary?
- How does the reader feel towards Jack by the end of the chapter? On the one hand the reader feels some sympathy for the way Jack is treated, but on the other he has managed to escape with his life, something he denied to the victim of his actions.
The reader is under the impression that prison life is very violent and brutal. That in prison you're either hard, or a wuss. This rough environment doesn't help criminals to become better people in my opinion, if anything it would make them more aggressive, with more reason to commit crime. Prison should rehabilitate the troubled, not make the bad worse.
ReplyDeleteThe impression is given that prison life is not easy and can be violent. The environment that the criminals are in would not help them to become better people but would make them become the opposite. These conditions would make criminals worse than they were before. The use of profanities makes the scene realistic and helps the reader understand the conditions that criminals live in.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter the reader is under the impression that prison life is a very brutal and violent place. In prison you are labelled in two categories you were either a hard nut that bullies people and who others and scared to step up to, or you were the timid boy that was a nobody. The rough environment of prison creates such a bad atmosphere for those people that are willing to change their ways for the best. People inside of prison have a very aggressive attitude towards life this means that more crime will be committed with in the small environment. The use of profanities makes the scene more realistic and helps the reader to really understand the brutal life. I have sympathy for Jack in this chapter because he is one of those people that has had a hard time with in the brutal world-prison. But on the other hand he is now able to escaped this lifestyle and live life in a more sufficient way not always looking over his shoulder to see who is waiting to get him.
ReplyDeleteUp until this point, A's entire representation has shown his progression through redemption to try a become a better person, to leave everything behind him. But now for the first time were being shown the harsh reality of: 'Prison Life'.
ReplyDeleteThis is conveyed via a point in A's sentence in which a fellow inmate has severely injured A due to the guards repeatedly putting him in cells with white inmates that he tells the guards he will kill. We find out later that he's trying to gain revenge against Prison guards that put his cousin in a cell with racists that proceeded to kill him, adding that he promised the family he'd take care of him in Jail.
Putting A in an environment with other criminal like himself, helps to show his true colours - he has committed a serious offence himself so we as the reader, have to decide whether we still think he's a genuinely nice but misled person. Playing with the readers emotions is a very regular occurrence throughout the novel and Trigell's use of this is very thought provoking, leading the reader on, immersing them in the story further.
In this chapter the reader is made to feel sympathetic towards Jack. The reason for this is that he is describing how he is being beaten up. This shows that life in prison is violent and harsh. Prison life should not be like this, people in prison are already serving their punishment by being in there, and being beaten up may cause more problems.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter the reader is gets a graphic insight into Jacks’ time in prison. The impression given is one of hostility and violent threats. The chapter climaxes in Jack being violently attacked in his cell, this make the reader feel sorry for Jack even though the fact he is in prison means he has committed a crime himself. The reader also gets this impression from the title of the chapter “D is for Dungeon.” The word dungeon connotes torture and dark underground tunnels which seem to go on for an eternity. At the end of the chapter Jack describes how he is saved from certain death when three prison officers walk in on the act of violence and save him. The fact he describes them as “guardian angles” is ironic as really they are there to enforce the punishment he is severing.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter the reader is given an insight into Jack's prison life. This causes the reader to have sympathy towards Jack, even though there's a reason for him being there.
ReplyDeletePrison's shouldn't be the way they are described in the book, as violence doesn't solve anything.
Throughout A, Trigell uses a repetative structure of Jacks, and Boy A past and present, life. However, the mood of each story has a direct link to the next or prevoius chapter, keeping the flow of the book, while skipping certain sections. Also, later Chapter S is able to become a vindette, a chapter that when removed from the said story can be provided as a stand alone piece of writing
ReplyDelete