The characters in The Runaway Jury exhibit extraordinarily evil qualities as humans. Fitch tries to use manipulation and corruption to buy verdicts from Marlee. Marlee lies to Fitch about the verdict and just wants Easter to use the jury for their benefit. Easter cunningly controls the entire trial so he can make the jury vote his way.
Fitch is worthy of great criticism from the start. In fact, every main character in the story must be criticized because each is after their own selfish ambitions with no regard for justice. However, Fitch is worthy of extra criticism because he doesn’t care at all about anyone else. He sees everyone as merely pawns in a greater game for power and money. This personality therefore enables him to be the perfect man for the job he has. He must manipulate and lie and cheat in order to get a verdict for the tobacco companies because even they know they’re wrong.
Marlee deserves slightly more praise than Fitch- not much though. She is still cunning able sly just like Fitch yet she is after something else. Her end goal is distinct from Fitch’s. He wants money and power and control while Marlee only wants retribution for her parents. She is seeking a higher moral goal than Fitch and therefore is worthy of slightly more praise. However, she still uses manipulation to seek her goal while turning against justice and what is right.
Easter is portrayed as the hero of the novel, especially to modern Americans. Grisham shows him as the underdog who courageously takes on the evil tobacco companies who are targeting poor innocent children. He also is the only one in the novel who is separated from the trial emotionally. That is, he doesn’t have a vested interest in the trial. While Fitch is after money and Marlee wants revenge, Easter only wants to please Marlee. This is because he loves her.
Interesting insight. Your final sentence falls flat because it should be tied to the previous sentence, not a stand alone thought.
~Bozeman
First off, why do think Fitch deserves more criticism than Marlee? True, Fitch is “corrupt” while Marlee has “higher moral goals,” but Fitch has never actually physically hurt someone directly as Marlee has. Marlee and Eatser both poison Herman Grimes, who is blind and somewhat defenseless. Him being disabled worsens the blow because who would ever harm a disabled person with intent to do so? Also, the only reason they committed this act was so that Easter could be the foreman, a selfish goal achieved by their cold-heartedness. Marlee also manipulates everyone around her, Fitch, the jury, the judge, basically the whole the trial, and Eatser. She tricks Easter into thinking that she loves him so that he will do her dirty work and help avenge her parents. While Fitch never toys with others’ emotions in that way, he just manipulates in order to win a verdict. If you can honestly say that this is worse than everything Marlee has done, take a look at the trials occuring today. In almost all of trials, both the defense and the prosecution try to “persuade” the jury to their side using dirty tactics that no one evr sees as dirty anymore because of them being used so frequently. Fitch is just another person who takes advantage of the court system and his funds, while everything Marlee touches turns to lies and manipulation for her own benefit. Secondly, Easter does have a vested interest in the trial because of Marlee. He does his best to please her and make her happy, and in order for him to do so, he must make sure the end verdict is guilty, which makes him have a vested interest in the trial. If he did not have a vested interest, then he would not have been able to convince the others to give a guilty verdict because they would not have listened to him if did not at least look like he had a vested interest. Honestly, he is just as wrong as Marlee because he goes along with her scheme of manipulation without blinking an eye. Just because he loves her does not excuse what he did, he still had complete control over himself and could have chosen not to participate at all in her plan.
I’m not sure when Marlee physically hurts someone, if she ever does. That’s never mentioned if she does nor is it ever mentioned if Fitch hurts someone physically. In fact, it’s more likely he has given his violent temper.
Marlee and Easter never actually poison Herman either. They just make it look like he had a heart attack. It plainly states that he will be perfectly all right. This is in contrast to Fitch making it look like Mr. Dupree is going to be sent to prison and going along with it. He also plans on threatening Rikki Coleman about showing her husband her abortion. Is this not worse than faking a heart attack?
When does Grisham say that Marlee is faking her love for Easter and using him? They both get to use the money they get. In fact, Marlee loved Easter even before they dated as revealed while Fitch investigates her past.
So just because “everyone is doing it” that makes it okay? Fitch threatens to send people to prison, blackmails people with their past, manipulates peoples’ jobs, completely disregards our justice system and yet, faking someones heart attack is worse? I also mentioned at the beginning of my post that all these characters are corrupt; however, at least Marlee is fighting for a cause. Fitch is corrupting and lying for money and power. Marlee is too, but also for her parents honor.
Easter has an interest through Marlee? That means he doesn’t personally have an interest. He’s not out for revenge- Marlee is. This is why he doesn’t have a direct vested interest in the trial.