“They’ll say it was a runaway verdict from a runaway jury, and they’ll fix it. The system works most of the time.” pg. 526

This plainly shows the theme of corruption throughout the novel in a rather ironic way. Easter feins that he actually trusts the system and believes in justice. Obviously, he doesn’t. In fact, he’s actively trying to destroy the system. This also shows the fact that Easter may really believe the jury is corrupt. And he wants to deliver a corrupted verdict.

This also reveals that Easter already knows that the system is going to fix whatever he does. He really doesn’t care about the verdict. He’s in this for the money and to help Marlee.

1. pg. 480 “Have you managed to finally purchase a verdict?”

The Trellco CEO says this and shows the reader that these people are so routinely involved in corruption and injustice. The CEO’s never expected to win fairly; they always have wanted to puchase the verdict.

2. pg. 481 “And [Fitch] had never promised victory before, not like this. He’d always anguished before each verdict, always predicting defeat and taking pleasure in making them miserable. This was so uncharacteristic.”

Grisham is trying to say that this trial is very different this time. He’s foreshadowing the fact that Fitch hasn’t really purchased a verdict and is going to lose.

3. pg. 509 “It was the death certificate. Dr. Evelyn Y. Brant had died of lung cancer.”

This is the time the reader knows without a doubt that Marlee really did lie to Fitch. It’s also when the reader knows who the verdict is going to really be for.

4. 526 “They’ll say it was a runaway verdict from a runaway jury, and they’ll fix it. The system works most of the time.”

You mean the system that you’re completely disregarding right now? This is the entire embodiment of the theme of the book right here. It’s really ironic that Easter is acting like he trusts a system he’s destroying.

5. pg. 533 “‘This is unheard of,’ Lonnie said, leaning against the wall. ‘Not really,’ Nicholas replied. ‘Texaco got hit with a ten-billion-dollar verdict a few years back.’ ‘Oh, so this is a bargain?’ Lonnie said. ‘No,’ Nicholas said, standing. ‘This is justice.'”

Again, Easter blatantly lies to the whole jury. This is in no way justice. It never was justice. This isn’t even about justice. This is about power and control. And Easter is trying to exploit that.

6. pg. 5-6 “[Easter] was a liar, and he was hiding his past, but still on paper and on the wall he looked okay.”

This is the first time the reader knows that Easter is strange and mysterious. He’s a liar and purposefully hides everything he does because of something. This sets the stage for Fitch trying to figure him out for the rest of the novel.

7. pg. 56 “Contact with the jurors of any type or manner would result in stiff sanctions, monetary penalties, maybe a mistrial, perhaps disbarment and death.”

If only Harkin knew… The irony is that these jurors are constantly being contacted and influenced by Fitch in every manner.

8. pg. 65 “Every jury has a leader, and that’s where you find your verdict. Will he emerge quickly? Or will she lie back and take charge during deliberations? Not even the jurors knew at this point.”

This book is full of ironic statements. Grisham is almost teasing the reader with statements like this. He interestingly uses the word “she” as an example. However, none of the women jurors ever take charge. Perhaps he’s talking about Marlee as the master puppeteer…

9. pg. 293 “‘Know thine enemy,’ [Fitch] said aloud to the walls. The first rule of war.”

This shows Fitch’s strategy in influencing juries. He tries to know everything about them before he completely corrupts them. He treats his operations like a war against the jurors though, not the plaintiff.

10. pg. 446 “In this, the biggest tobacco trial yet, with the biggest plaintiff’s lawyers lined up with millions, his beloved Marlee would hand him a verdict.”

Or not. This shows Fitch has completely put his trust in Marlee. He’s practically surrendered everything to her. He no longer is the one in control.

Nearly all of the characters in Grisham’s novel are constant throughout. They have little change in their overall character. However, the reader notices a difference in Marlee at a point in the story. She has always been the master puppeteer working behind the scenes, out of the spotlight. She has been sneaky and mysterious all the time. This changes when she receives a call from her friend from the past. This friend tells her a man asked her questions about Marlee’s past. Marlee immediately knows it’s Fitch and for the first time, is scared.

The reader notices Marlee pressing Fitch very hard to lay off of investigating her past. She also confides to Easter her worries. This shows Marlee is truly scared about Fitch learning about her past. The reason for this is revealed at the end of the book when Fitch finds out her parents died of lung cancer. If Fitch had discovered that earlier, he wouldn’t have given Marlee the money because he would have figured out which side she was on.

The novel opens with background information on tobacco trials and the importance of this one. The reader is introduced to Rohr and the plaintiff, and Cable and the defense. Also, several shadowy figures are introduced. Easter is mysterious from the start while it appears Fitch is engaging in illegal activities to engineer a verdict. Then a girl known as Marlee is revealed who is even more mysterious than Easter.

Fitch tries to manipulate the jury in several ways. He gives Lonnie Shaver a new job and convinces him that these lawsuits are horrible. The duprees are duped by fake FBI agents who threaten prison. It’s also planned to blackmail Rikki Coleman with her abortion in college. This all leads up to Fitch buying a verdict from Marlee for $10 million.

As Fitch digs deeper into Marlee’s past however, it’s revealed her parents died of lung cancer. Easter and Marlee then give the vote to the plaintiff and are able to make a killing on the stock market. Marlee then returns the ten million to Fitch but says they’ll always watch him.

Grisham writes a brilliant story of corruption and deceit in our legal system. He brings to light practices in jury selection and during the trial that some may consider unethical. I would certainly recommend this book especially to people who want to be lawyers because this book gives excellent insight into our justice system.

Grisham creates a thriller that is believable and realistic to the average person. Actual lawyers may downplay the possibility of such rampant corruption, especially in modern times with government agencies regulating lawyers more and more.

There are only a few elements I would change to make the story a little more interesting. It seemed like Jerry was in on the plot with Easter at several times in the story but it appeared not at the end. It would have been a nice twist to have him be more involved. Another interesting element I would change is the point of view in the story. Either take it from Easter’s point of view to show the reader how his mind operated throughout and how he controlled the jury to his whim, or from Fitch’s. From Fitch’s view the reader could learn more of what he was thinking of what to do and gain more insight into his manipulation.

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.

The Runaway Jurytakes place in the mid-90’s at a time when many people are worried about the moral decay of society. Everywhere people look there is corruption- in government, corporations, lawsuits. Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinksy during the presidency reaffirms this feeling of the times. Therefore, Grisham’s book about corruption and disregarding justice fits with the decade of the time. The author also picked the location to be on the Coast in Mississippi for a particular reason. The coast is known for gambling and corruption, especially in Louisiana. His story of corrupting a jury and betting huge money on possibly buying a verdict fits well also. The Coast is also known for putting money ahead of everything else- including morals. The Hoppy sting and Fitch buying a verdict portrays this also.

We know this book is fiction because the tobacco industry is still doing fine today. It’s still being profitable and not having to pay huge lawsuits. However, the story could happen in real life. Grisham presents the story in a very plausible way by utilizing his knowledge of the law and slick ways around it. People file frivolous lawsuits all the time against major companies and it’s certainly possible that the industry could team up to protect itself.

Grisham chooses the title for this book for a certain reason. The Runaway Jury a jury that gets tainted and corrupted. It thus, is deemed as completely out of control in relation to justice and the law. The title suggests that the jury is out of control and this becomes quickly apparent. What’s ironic is that nearly every character in the story is trying to control and influence the jury. Easter tries to win control of jurors through charisma and showing off his knowledge of the law. Fitch attempts to control the jury through shrewd manipulation and lies.  Cleve, the runner for Rohr, influences Derrick through cash. The ironic thing is that the title suggests a jury that is completely out of control. Grisham uses this as a symbol to say that it doesn’t matter how much resources you have- a jury is innately unstable and uncontrollable.

Without a doubt, the two forces that are constantly at work in this novel is the battle between justice and corruption. Grisham reveals that these two forces clash in multiple ways and sadly, corruption wins out most of the time.

Fitch engineers a way for Lonnie’s company to be bought out and for Lonnie to be hired by a new company. This new company is very keen on seeing that Big Tobacco wins this lawsuit. They are able to influence Lonnie to vote a certain way which clearly goes against justice. Fitch corrupts Lonnie’s decision-making in order to reach his goal.

Marlee and Easter are also corrupted and this is shown as Fitch digs deeper into their pasts. It reveals that they have been stalking tobacco trials in order to plant Easter in the jury and engineer a verdict for cash. Although it’s not technically illegal to move around and register to vote, the reason that they do it is extremely corrupt. They obviously could care less about the law and justice.

The Colonel is bumped from the trial because, it seems, h has been reading unauthorized material in his room. In reality, Easter planted the material there in order to make him look guilty. Justice would have kept Herrera there because he really wasn’t doing anything wrong. Yet, Easter is able to corrupt him.

Another situation that Fitch engineers is the Hoppy sting. He uses two of his goons to pose as FBI agents and convince Hoppy he has committed a federal crime. They then use this situation to pressure him to influence his wife’s vote. This shows complete corruption yet is ironic in that Nitchman and Napier pose as agents of justice.

The ultimate example of total corruption in the story is the deal that Marlee and Fitch make to buy a verdict. They even talk about how corrupt their deal is, but it’s obvious they really don’t care for justice. Justice is thrown aside in favor of money and power. The entire purpose of our legal system it to avoid corruption yet it happens here. It’s set up so the jury is made of multiple people so it’s harder to influence. Yet, Fitch has enough resources to do it.

The Runaway Jury reveals several dark truths about human nature. It tells of a jury that has been corrupted from the very start by powerful people with unlimited resources.

One theme that is prevalent throughout the novel is that humans are innately greedy. Sometimes it’s alright for humans to be greedy. That’s how capitalism works- humans naturally want to better their current situation. However, greediness goes wrong when it leads to gluttony or is illegal. This is what happens to Hoppy. He simply wants to better his living condition and give his family a better life when he gets duped by two fake FBI agents. The author tells the reader that Hoppy is constantly thinking of what he’ll be able to spend the money on… until he’s caught. Then he will do almost anything, including commit suicide, to escape prison.

Another truth that Grisham illustrates is that humans are innately corrupt. Humans may talk of loving justice, but at our heart we are corrupt, broken. Fitch beautifully shows this by his drive to do anything to win. He will lie, cheat, and steal his way to a verdict for the tobacco companies. In fact, he’s consumed by his own corruption. It turns him bitter and hateful toward all his colleagues. The Mastermind of Verdicts doesn’t even care about the law or justice. All he wants is to win.

Grisham reveals another less dark truth about human nature in that humans want to worship someone who is powerful. We have an innate sense of wanting to worship something. Even atheists worship something- money, power, glory. Sometimes Christians, without thinking about it, start to worship other things that they deem as harmless little things; in reality however, it turns them away from God. The jury immediately starts to worship Easter as a sort of legal expert and advisor. He’s the only one of them who has supposedly gone to law school and so they respect him as someone who knows all the dirty tricks of law. Even though Easter is 28 years old, the Duprees seek him out for advice about the FBI sting. This shows humans will seek out and worship those who they deem as knowledgeable or powerful.