The only similarity I see is the "witnessing" of death by hanging. John actually doesn't do this out of compassion; Bates blackmailed him. (He could have not showed up, but as Bates noted, "officer and gentleman". He gave his word, so he'll go.) He's in no danger of being suspected as a sodomite--until he makes that instinctive gesture to end Bates's suffering. I think *that* is a really major difference. He comes reluctantly, and has no deep feeling for Bates (while Jamie was Gavin Hayes "chief," as well as his friend). But he can't let Bates strangle in front of him. He doesn't think anything about "fellow officer" or "there but for the grace of God go I", nor does he think for an instant about his own safety. He just does what has to be done. Jamie is fulfilling his social obligations to Gavin; John is showing instinctive mercy to a stranger. I think the parallel is actually stronger with Jamie's actions toward Aaron Beardsley. -- LJG Discussion board

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

Saturday, June 08, 13:34:38 [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, [7], 8, 9 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 11:05:21 10/15/07 Mon
Author: maddiej
Subject: The only similarity I see is the "witnessing" of death by hanging. John actually doesn't do this out of compassion; Bates blackmailed him. (He could have not showed up, but as Bates noted, "officer and gentleman". He gave his word, so he'll go.) He's in no danger of being suspected as a sodomite--until he makes that instinctive gesture to end Bates's suffering. I think *that* is a really major difference. He comes reluctantly, and has no deep feeling for Bates (while Jamie was Gavin Hayes "chief," as well as his friend). But he can't let Bates strangle in front of him. He doesn't think anything about "fellow officer" or "there but for the grace of God go I", nor does he think for an instant about his own safety. He just does what has to be done. Jamie is fulfilling his social obligations to Gavin; John is showing instinctive mercy to a stranger. I think the parallel is actually stronger with Jamie's actions toward Aaron Beardsley.
In reply to: susiej 's message, "OK, I haven't read these books, but Pamela told me she was quoting this week and her themes and picks are also so intriguing that I came over to check it out and I have to say I am so surprised. This is a great scene but it is so like the Jamie scene in so many ways- through an act of compassion, John risks being discovered as a "sodomite" just as Jamie risked being discovered as a Jacobite and all in front of a riled up crowd. But what surprises me is that you guys all like the similarity. Cynic that I am, I am saying- oh, this it too much the same. I mean couldn't it at least have not been done through a hanging? Now, I fully realize that I am a very hard person to please, but didn't you even just sort of roll your eyes a bit and say to yourself, 'seen this before'? or is it just me? This won't be the first time I've been told I was hyper critical, so feel free to be honest. I know I'm being ornery here so give it back if you feel I deserve it." on 09:35:32 10/15/07 Mon

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums^(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.