Dick Lochte wrote: The current discussion about "Bullet" is
pretty damned fascinating. In comparing "The Searchers" to
contemporary stories
("Taxi Driver," "Hardcore") one aspect seems to have gone
unmentioned, however. The villains of the piece. In "The
Searchers," the Indians are depicted as savages, but, as I
recall, there is a nobility about them. Their savagery stems
from their history. They know no other way of life. And we
get the feeling that as much as the character John Wayne
plays hates them, he knows this. It's what makes his
character so rich. In the "influenced" works, there's nothing
at all noble about the pimps and porno filmmakers, snuff
artists and others of their ilk. They're scumbags. It
simplifies the storyline a little. (I should note that I'm
not sure if this applies to "Bullet." I couldn't get very far
into that one.)
******** There's not much nobility in Cyrus, the leader of
the satanic cult in Teran's BULLET, but he's not the typical
stereotype self-obsessed crazy, either. He's just a mean
sadistic killer. The book makes it clear that his hold on his
followers is mainly based on his ability to give them what
they want, which is drugs and violence. And there's not
really a lot of stock put into their cult beliefs, either.
They are just an added amusement to their main fun, which is
drugs and violence. Teran refuses to elevate Cyrus to a devil
god. The Ferryman makes the sneering comment that Cyrus is
just another sheep. And the good guys do some pretty nasty
things for good guys. Bottom line here is that the playing
field is fairly level, and it's sometimes hard to tell the
good guys from the bad once you get down in the mud, blood,
and tequila.
I guess what I'm getting around to here is that GOD IS A
BULLET is noirish. There isn't a whole lotta nobility to be
found anywhere. The closest thing to respect that Teran's
protagonist sheriff Bob Hightower develops for the bad guys
is no more than a realization that there is perhaps not as
much difference between him and them as he formerly thought.
The significance of Bob's character is that he sees
everything he believes in collapse around him and yet he digs
deep within himself and finds the courage and personal
conviction to go on, rising like the phoenix from the ashes
of his own funeral pyre. And kicking some serious ass in the
process too, I might add. ;-)
"Influenced" works seem to pretty much take a piece of what
they want and heck with the rest, and they often twist what
they take until it's downright ironic. I'd say that about
Joyce's ULYSSES (just from what I've heard. I haven't read
it.), and Flannery O'Connor's image of Christ in Hazel Motes
is outrageous.
miker
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