![]() ![]() In “Old Arthur,” he tells the story of a 65-year-old man looking back on his life and wishing he had done things differently. The final story recaps the overarching theme of Planedin’s tales: individuals can find personal redemption in making things right. Their impact would be greater, however, if spelling errors, apparent typos, and run-on sentences didn’t distract from the flow of the story. In his stories, the criminals never meet an easy end, and some of the author’s descriptions-crushed windpipes and gaping wounds among them-are remarkably graphic. ![]() ![]() Planedin’s wide range of character types shows how everyone from high school girls to nursing home residents can stand up for themselves against the world’s bullies. It “took only one look at the twin gaping barrels of eternity facing them to inspire the utmost, immediate cooperation,” Planedin writes. In fact, Planedin’s citizen cops borrow some of the Detective Callahan bravado as they explore the power in being the one holding the weapon. Planedin is comfortable with the language of firearms, noting shotgun gauges and revolver calibers with the ease of Dirty Harry talking about his friends Smith and Wesson. In his first story, “Maggie’s Turn,” for instance, a violent drug dealer thinks he has pulled off another con until one of his victims targets him in a sting operation that brings her satisfaction on many levels.Įach short story in the collection gets right to the point without skimping on the details of the inevitable confrontations. In An Eye for a Tooth, he offers five tales of vigilante justice in which the punishment fits the crime in some unexpected ways.Ĭlearly offended by a judicial system he perceives as inadequate, Planedin explores scenarios in which the average citizen might be his own best law-enforcement officer. 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:ģ9 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.Ĥ0 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.Ĥ1 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.Ĥ2 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.Ĥ3 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.Ĥ4 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you Ĥ5 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.Ĥ6 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?Ĥ7 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?Ĥ8 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.The Bible prescribes “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” as compensation for an injustice, but Gordon Planedin writes about situations that he believes call for more violent solutions. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |