Mr. Mercedes. [Read through end of page 62] Discuss Here 6.14.15

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VultureLvr45

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Mar 15, 2012
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Yes, you can see that he really did things a little backwards. Often he builds the characters first and then hooks you in the process.
Hi Kurban, I don't really understand your 'doing things a little backwards' comment. He does present the characters first, but most interesting authors do in my opinion. Otherwise, why should I read about them if I don't care who they are or what happens?

I don't remember anymore... when do we get a bigger portrait of jerome?
Think we got a fantastic glimpse of Jerome on page 37, when the nosy neighbor mentions the grass getting long and asking if Hodges still keeps 'that negro boy' .
Hodges imagines Jeromes retort to that outdated question, and his future aspirations.
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
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Hi Kurban, I don't really understand your 'doing things a little backwards' comment. He does present the characters first, but most interesting authors do in my opinion. Otherwise, why should I read about them if I don't care who they are or what happens?


Think we got a fantastic glimpse of Jerome on page 37, when the nosy neighbor mentions the grass getting long and asking if Hodges still keeps 'that negro boy' .
Hodges imagines Jeromes retort to that outdated question, and his future aspirations.
I meant the main characters. The characters we get to know ,Janice and augie, die in these pages and it is not until afterwards that we get the first main character. But that is probably because he is adjustiong to the crimenovels form. First the crime then the investigator.
 

VultureLvr45

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Hodges knows the system - since he's retired, he would be shut out of the case. That's my take, anyway. :)
That makes good procedural sense.

Don't you think he wanted to keep and search for clues in it? I think that he thinks that his partner has so much on his desk, and he was called away from the lunch, to give it the proper amount of time.

I agree with you as well. He wanted to keep the letter so he could work on it and try to glean more information from it.
 

VultureLvr45

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And, new evidence in one of his only unsolved cases got him to have a goal again. He felt as if he lost his purpose when he retired.

Thats a bit sad but i guess not uncommon to only have one good reason to hang on and then retire and not have it anymore....
Guys this is so true and relatively common among men and women.


Yes it is. He is divorced and his only child is an adult who doesn't live close by. "They" say that men (and some women too) get a lot of their sense of purpose from their work.
I know I did when I worked professionally, then stopped. It was really difficult to find my sense of purpose or self.