61 pages • 2 hours read
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.
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses death by suicide, racism, racial slurs, graphic violence, alcohol addiction, and stereotypes.
Sycamore Row’s protagonist is Jake Brigance, a lawyer who gains fame in Clanton, Mississippi defending Carl Lee Hailey, as depicted in Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill. Grisham has acknowledged autobiographical elements in Jake’s characterization, especially the manner in which he practices law. Jake’s choices and values often represent an authorial projection; a vision of how Grisham thinks—or at least hopes—he would behave in similar circumstances. Though Jake has dreamed since law school of being a great trial lawyer, his true motivation in this story is integrity as demonstrated by his repeated emphasis on his responsibility to represent Seth’s wishes. In the book’s thematic discussion of Unethical Practices in Trial Law, Grisham portrays Jake as the rare honest lawyer in a profession dominated by dishonesty.
Grisham characterizes Jake as an early riser with a strict daily routine, both ambitious and hard-working—a family man devoted to his wife and daughter. In his letter to Jake, Seth explains why he chose Jake to represent his will, writing, “I chose you because you have the reputation of being honest and I admired your courage during the trial of Carl Lee Hailey.
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
Sparring Partners
Sparring Partners
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