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John GrishamA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The influence of wealth and privilege in the legal system is evident in each of the three novellas collected in Sparring Partners. Across the collection, Grisham indicates that this corrupting pressure is pervasive, but not impenetrable. In “Homecoming,” Mack’s confidence that he can buy his way out of jail indicates that those who can afford both legal counsel and financial restitution are often essentially above the law. At the end of the novella, once Mack realizes that federal investigators are aware of his crimes and have secured an indictment, he decides to “disappear for a while and let things cool down” (121). Although Mack is guilty, he is confident that his “lawyers will handle everything, and with time, they’ll work out a deal” (122). Grisham is explicit that this deal will involve financial restitution, but not prison time. As an (illegally) wealthy lawyer, Mack can afford to fight his charges with expensive attorneys and to avoid incarceration by paying fines. The novella suggests that Mack’s wealth and privilege protect him from the consequences of his crimes, unlike the blue-collar criminals the novella’s prosecutors would never indulge in this way.
Cody, the protagonist of “Strawberry Moon,” provides a stark contrast to Mack: A once-unhoused orphan incarcerated on death row, Cody has no wealth or privilege, and the novella makes it clear that his legal standing suffered as a result.
By John Grisham
A Painted House
A Painted House
John Grisham
A Time For Mercy
A Time For Mercy
John Grisham
A Time to Kill
A Time to Kill
John Grisham
Bleachers
Bleachers
John Grisham
Calico Joe
Calico Joe
John Grisham
Camino Island
Camino Island
John Grisham
Gray Mountain
Gray Mountain
John Grisham
Playing For Pizza
Playing For Pizza
John Grisham
Skipping Christmas
Skipping Christmas
John Grisham
Sooley
Sooley
John Grisham
Sycamore Row
Sycamore Row
John Grisham
The Appeal
The Appeal
John Grisham
The Boys from Biloxi
The Boys from Biloxi
John Grisham
The Brethren
The Brethren
John Grisham
The Chamber
The Chamber
John Grisham
The Client
The Client
John Grisham
The Confession
The Confession
John Grisham
The Firm
The Firm
John Grisham
The Guardians
The Guardians
John Grisham
The Innocent Man
The Innocent Man
John Grisham
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