Chapters 5-10 offer insight into the two main characters Clement and Cruz by delving somewhat into their backstories. What, if anything, did you find surprising about these men?
I can't say that anything about the characters really surprised me. I was struck the loneliness of Cruz. He seems to enjoy his work, but longs for a companion that can appreciate what he does for a living and why he does it.
I was also struck by Clement's arrogance. I am thoroughly entertained by this character. The fact that he contacted the police in an effort to gain information on their investigation of him is very brazen.
The qualities of being brazen and young are a dangerous combination in regards to Clement. He does not think of the consequences of his actions, because thus far he has been able to escape any lengthy jail time. He thinks he's smart, but he has only been able to avoid any serious penalties due to resourcefulness of his attorney.
When it comes to Cruz, he seems to get a lay of the situation before saying anything, and has become so good at his work that he makes connections and destroys alibi's like no one in his squad, as seen in the back half of Chapter 5 when he confuses Sally's alibi by asking had she seen Clement lately.
Clement feels like the world is his oyster and he can do whatever he wants as he believes that no one can ever get the drop on him. He is also extremely intelligent which is shown more than twice when he analyzes the note pad from the judge, when he uses Sally to talk to the police and when he uses his lawyer to find out what the cops know.
Cruz strikes me as the traditional character who portrays a tough exterior, but internally longs for an element of companionship in his life. Although he's a a hard-nosed cop and a smooth talker, ultimately, you can sense he needs more in his life.
As for Clement - he comes off as smug and pompous. Although he's intelligent (and knows it) I sense that his fearless and overly confident attitude my be the ultimate short-coming in his character later in the book.
I agree with you and Feodies that Cruz is a lonely man. He probably buries himself more heavily into his work to make up for the lack of fulfillment he experiences in his personal life.
Concerning Chapter 5-10, I do not know if I would characterize the revelations regarding Raymond Cruz and Clement Mansell as “surprising.” However, this section does deepen our knowledge of Cruz as being a man of commitment. No doubt, he is committed to his job, as he has retained and is able to quickly recall details of former cases to a degree unparalleled by any of his colleagues. Without him, the investigation into the murder of Judge Guy may not have been able to identify a prime suspect so quickly.
Moreover, this section of the novel reveals Cruz is committed to past relationships. For instance, he is still committed to his former wife, even though he is no longer married or in love with her. This is demonstrated by the fact he is considering her request to repair the leaky roof of her house, even though he is not legally or morally obligated to do so.
In contrast, I did not feel the author deepened our knowledge of Clement. We already knew he was reckless, so his behavior in this section was not beyond what one would expect. Clement also thinks he is much more clever, than he really is. This self-perception seems to feed into his reckless behavior, as evidenced by the fact he has retained the murder weapon even though it had been involved in nearly a half dozen killings. Also, sending the gun out to be disposed of by Sandy was certainly not a well-thought out response to a police visit.
Nothing about these characters surprised me. Cruz, seems to be very intuitive when it come to solving cases. Although he may feel others may not see him in that manner, being that he's changed his style of dress and grew a mustache to appear more 'seasoned'. To me, he's still learning himself and the job.
Clement, is crazy. Playing on train tracks is one of the craziest things I've ever heard of. That moment of defiance has given him this wannabe supernatural talent to escape all of the crimes he's committed and so far it's worked. Albeit, he has no such superpowers, he's operating in a realm of make believe that he can't be touched.
I disagree with your depiction of Cruz. To me, he does seem to be the most seasoned of all of the detectives. He certainly may not have his life in order, but he as proven himself to be a quite systematic in following police procedure.
Dr. Anderson, I disagree that Cruz is committed to past relationships. He told his ex-wife that the house was hers, as in it was her responsibility to tend to it. She said he should not have left it to her in that condition. He said she spoke as if she wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying. Lastly, I think he told her he would fix the roof to end the conversation and get off of the phone.
I thought I was just reading too much into the situation. I couldn't believe how good he played that off. Cruz completely cut that chapter out of his life. Got rid of the wife, raggedy house and ended the conversation like a boss. I like his style.
Cruz has not been able to "leave" his former wife, yet. Her request was definitely out-of-line. Why should he continue to deal with her if he has not learned how to leave her for good? By continuing to entertain her requests, he is only enabling her to continue to depend on him.
This relationship seems more so like a rivalry then the cat-and-mouse game. This guy is smart and intuitive. Cruz has/is looking for something to feel the void in his life. Clearly he couldn't find satisfaction in anything. I'm questioning how much he cared for his old life. Cruz doesn't care for the material things. He basically just gave everything up to his ex-wife and changed his appearance. I think he is still searching for himself. Might be bored or lonely. Searching for that thing or person that can make him think.
Clement is that yang to Cruz Yin. He provides that missing piece Cruz is looking for. Someone who can actually challenge him. Clement is the epitome of challenge. He never really falters or sweats. Like during the interrogation he was nothing but cool and collecting. He is also crazy. That is going to be his downfall. Clement needs to chill out before one of his crazy stunts gets him caught or killed.
I definitely agree with your analysis of Cruz. He is a man in search of himself.
I am not so sold on contention as to the significance of Clement to Cruz. While it is true Clement relishes the challenge Cruz poses to his continued freedom, I am not convinced Cruz is getting a charge out of quest to indict the "Wildman" with the judge's murder.
I can't say that anything about the characters really surprised me. I was struck the loneliness of Cruz. He seems to enjoy his work, but longs for a companion that can appreciate what he does for a living and why he does it.
ReplyDeleteI was also struck by Clement's arrogance. I am thoroughly entertained by this character. The fact that he contacted the police in an effort to gain information on their investigation of him is very brazen.
The qualities of being brazen and young are a dangerous combination in regards to Clement. He does not think of the consequences of his actions, because thus far he has been able to escape any lengthy jail time. He thinks he's smart, but he has only been able to avoid any serious penalties due to resourcefulness of his attorney.
DeleteWhen it comes to Cruz, he seems to get a lay of the situation before saying anything, and has become so good at his work that he makes connections and destroys alibi's like no one in his squad, as seen in the back half of Chapter 5 when he confuses Sally's alibi by asking had she seen Clement lately.
ReplyDeleteClement feels like the world is his oyster and he can do whatever he wants as he believes that no one can ever get the drop on him. He is also extremely intelligent which is shown more than twice when he analyzes the note pad from the judge, when he uses Sally to talk to the police and when he uses his lawyer to find out what the cops know.
I do not think I would agree Clement is intelligent. He thinks he is, but his actions seem to attract police suspicions instead of repelling them.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCruz strikes me as the traditional character who portrays a tough exterior, but internally longs for an element of companionship in his life. Although he's a a hard-nosed cop and a smooth talker, ultimately, you can sense he needs more in his life.
ReplyDeleteAs for Clement - he comes off as smug and pompous. Although he's intelligent (and knows it) I sense that his fearless and overly confident attitude my be the ultimate short-coming in his character later in the book.
I agree with you and Feodies that Cruz is a lonely man. He probably buries himself more heavily into his work to make up for the lack of fulfillment he experiences in his personal life.
DeleteConcerning Chapter 5-10, I do not know if I would characterize the revelations regarding Raymond Cruz and Clement Mansell as “surprising.” However, this section does deepen our knowledge of Cruz as being a man of commitment. No doubt, he is committed to his job, as he has retained and is able to quickly recall details of former cases to a degree unparalleled by any of his colleagues. Without him, the investigation into the murder of Judge Guy may not have been able to identify a prime suspect so quickly.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, this section of the novel reveals Cruz is committed to past relationships. For instance, he is still committed to his former wife, even though he is no longer married or in love with her. This is demonstrated by the fact he is considering her request to repair the leaky roof of her house, even though he is not legally or morally obligated to do so.
In contrast, I did not feel the author deepened our knowledge of Clement. We already knew he was reckless, so his behavior in this section was not beyond what one would expect. Clement also thinks he is much more clever, than he really is. This self-perception seems to feed into his reckless behavior, as evidenced by the fact he has retained the murder weapon even though it had been involved in nearly a half dozen killings. Also, sending the gun out to be disposed of by Sandy was certainly not a well-thought out response to a police visit.
Nothing about these characters surprised me. Cruz, seems to be very intuitive when it come to solving cases. Although he may feel others may not see him in that manner, being that he's changed his style of dress and grew a mustache to appear more 'seasoned'. To me, he's still learning himself and the job.
ReplyDeleteClement, is crazy. Playing on train tracks is one of the craziest things I've ever heard of. That moment of defiance has given him this wannabe supernatural talent to escape all of the crimes he's committed and so far it's worked. Albeit, he has no such superpowers, he's operating in a realm of make believe that he can't be touched.
I disagree with your depiction of Cruz. To me, he does seem to be the most seasoned of all of the detectives. He certainly may not have his life in order, but he as proven himself to be a quite systematic in following police procedure.
DeleteOh, yeah . . . Clement is INSANE!
Dr. Anderson, I disagree that Cruz is committed to past relationships. He told his ex-wife that the house was hers, as in it was her responsibility to tend to it. She said he should not have left it to her in that condition. He said she spoke as if she wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying. Lastly, I think he told her he would fix the roof to end the conversation and get off of the phone.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was just reading too much into the situation. I couldn't believe how good he played that off. Cruz completely cut that chapter out of his life. Got rid of the wife, raggedy house and ended the conversation like a boss. I like his style.
DeleteCruz has not been able to "leave" his former wife, yet. Her request was definitely out-of-line. Why should he continue to deal with her if he has not learned how to leave her for good? By continuing to entertain her requests, he is only enabling her to continue to depend on him.
DeleteThis relationship seems more so like a rivalry then the cat-and-mouse game. This guy is smart and intuitive. Cruz has/is looking for something to feel the void in his life. Clearly he couldn't find satisfaction in anything. I'm questioning how much he cared for his old life. Cruz doesn't care for the material things. He basically just gave everything up to his ex-wife and changed his appearance. I think he is still searching for himself. Might be bored or lonely. Searching for that thing or person that can make him think.
ReplyDeleteClement is that yang to Cruz Yin. He provides that missing piece Cruz is looking for. Someone who can actually challenge him. Clement is the epitome of challenge. He never really falters or sweats. Like during the interrogation he was nothing but cool and collecting. He is also crazy. That is going to be his downfall. Clement needs to chill out before one of his crazy stunts gets him caught or killed.
I definitely agree with your analysis of Cruz. He is a man in search of himself.
DeleteI am not so sold on contention as to the significance of Clement to Cruz. While it is true Clement relishes the challenge Cruz poses to his continued freedom, I am not convinced Cruz is getting a charge out of quest to indict the "Wildman" with the judge's murder.