---
harry.lerner@mail.mcgill.ca wrote:
>
> 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.
****************************************************** But
these choices depend on the fact that Marshall suffers from
low self-esteem and cowardice. Marshall is a sociopath as
opposed to a psychotic. A psychotic has a severe mental
problem, disassociated from reality. A sociopath has a severe
personality problem. Marshall can never own up to any mistake
and goes to extreme measures to cover up a murder than never
happened because he's too cowardly to even check what
happened. Sure, if I were a sociopath maybe I'd make the same
kind of mistakes starting giving the girl money in the first
place. But excusing Marshall's stupidity like that avoids
Woolrich's point in writing the novel in the first place.
We're supposed to learn something from Marshall's mistakes,
not feel sorry for him.
Patrick King
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