I agree at times it does seem that although the narrative of
FRIGHT consists mostly of "He then went..." "He thought
that..." etc. it does often seem like it is Marshall speaking
albeit referring to himself in the third person. The story
does occasionally, but not very often, shift into full 1st
person mode ("I then...") when Marshall is least in control
of what is going on around him thus the most afraid.
I also agree Marshall's choices are less than logical but
remember his conscience and his sense of self-preservation
are in constant conflict.
In this context, what seems irrational and even
illogical often is the only thing that makes any sense. If
you view Marshall in this light he isn't quite as dimwitted
as he otherwise may appear. Anyway, just my take on it.
Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question. I now
have several more titles on my to read list, and I am quite
eager to further educate myself on more recent noir
literature.
Best, Harry
Quoting Patrick King <
abrasax93@yahoo.com>:
> It seemed to me that the first person was used
in
> FREIGHT when Marshall was imagining what was
happening
> rather than in circumstances that were
really
> happening. The scene between Marjorie and her
father
> and Marjorie and Lance, for example, did not
occur
> independent of Marshall's imagination. I was a
little
> confused about the murder at the lake of the
man
> Marshall supposed to be Wise. Marshall has to be
one
> of the stupidest protagonists I've ever read
about.
> The research he did was always dangerous for him
and
> always led him to the wrong conclusion, while
reading
> newspapers or making a few phone calls would have
put
> his mind at ease. As suspenseful as the book is,
it's
> equally funny in the way REEFER MADNESS is funny:
one
> unfortunate circumstance leads to worse and worse
and
> worse, while one logical step taken at any point
along
> the way would have completely eliminated the
problem.
>
> Patrick King
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