In a message dated 4/20/02 4:18:53 PM,
DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net writes:
<< Isn't this just the personal version of the PI who
works in a corrupt world, kept down and abused by the system,
trying to make the best of it? >>
IMO it's not. The PI isn't trying to "make the best of it,"
his/her impossible task is to hate it, do battle with it, and
try his/her best to defeat it.
--And why in the world is
self-victimization -- say Scudder's blackouts -- more
hardboiled than being victimized by another?--
Because the former rises from a
battle with personal demons, a hard boiled theme as old as
the genre, while the latter violates even Sam Spade's oft
repeated motto, "I won't play the sap for you."
--And how does Hoke Moseley's being
beaten into the hospital and having his gun, badge and teeth
stolen fit into this?--
It fits just fine. Getting sucker
punched or duped (or even duping oneself) is not the same
thing as living your life as a punching bag.
I like Lehane's books and enjoy
reading about Angie. My contention is not that she fails to
be interesting or sympathetic or admirable as a character.
I'm just saying I don't believe she's hard-boiled.
Jim
Blue
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