It is apparent that Ed Tom Bell has been a sheriff for a long time. At first glance, he comes off like he’s has seen it all. Bell says to become a Sheriff, you have to be willing to die. There is one part of his job, however, that he isn’t willing to accept–putting his soul at hazard. We hear his say this at the beginning of the novel, and don’t think much of it. As we keep reading and get to each soliloquy, it becomes more apparent that Bell fears killing. He fears the act of killing someone himself, even when it is needed. He becomes uncomfortable and contemplative over the gas chamber and you can see that despite his experience, he doesn’t know how to deal with mass killers like Chigurth. Not only that, he fears them and hopes he doesn’t want to come in contact with them again, after his encounter with the young man who killed his girlfriend. This fear carries with him through the novel as is apparent when he is investigating the trucks out in the country. He is almost astonished at the crimes he is coming across and you can feel his uncomfortableness in the text.
Categories
Great American Novels 