Blog Post 7 & 8

Part 1:

Both Judge Sorderberg and Man on Wire describe different types of crime. Petit’s crime is considered as a form of self-expression and art, which essentially is from his own curiosity and not essentiality, which has the potential to unify people as was seen by people who all stopped to witness Petit walk the rope. Judge Sodernberg’s explanation of crime involves murder, vandalism and theft which is only seen as something horrible.

Part 2:

The judge, who also happens to be Claire’s husband, has very different reactions to the cases of Tillie and Jazzlyn, and Phillipe. This response also symbolizes the difference between the two types of crime as discussed from Part 1. The judge has a negative response towards Tillie an Jazzlyn’s case, and despises these typical crimes which constantly happen in the city, causing its safety and reputability to go down. The judge just saw them as yet another group of criminals, and even assumed that Corrigan is their pimp. On the other hand, with the case of the tight rope walker, Judge Soldengberg is nearly fascinated to hear the case out. The judge had to follow some formality I signing of a sentence for Petit, yet made is a bare minimum. Thus, showing how his so called “crime” brings contrast and unity to the city.

Part 3:

I found it clever by the author to just start off his book with the scene where Phillipe does his tightrope walk. An extraordinary event for any New Yorker to experience, yet not mentioned again for the most part of the book after the prologue, which left a question unanswered. It is as if the prologue was unnecessary at first, since the following chapters never included anything with him again, only slight indirect references. We, the readers had to wait almost until the end of the book to understand how this event strangely connects to the other characters and to the beginning of the book again. However, the event is still bridged with when Tillie and Jazzlyn get arrested and then sent to trial on the same day as the tight rope walker.

The bridge that I found unsettling in this novel is how things worked out between Lara and Ciaran. As time went on, the bridge connected and their relationship got stronger, the bitter feelings they had for one-another went away. Certainly, an uncommon way to meet a lover.

The bridge that was inspiring to me was the connection between Corrigan and the homeless in chapter 1. It was surprising to see Corrigan’s actions towards these people and how empathetic he was. He would live as a poor man amongst them to immerse himself in the culture, and truly understand where they need help the most.