In the Belly of the Beast

Rating:
Summary: Take it For What It's Worth
Review: Truly, the story of Jack Abbott is one of those late twentieth century chestnuts that will endure in literature and film long after people have actually forgotten the man and this book. Abbott is a symbol for the excesses of New York style limosine liberalism. Wealthy author becomes pen pals with convicted felon, publishes book of felon's letters, felon becomes cause celebre, author gets felon out of prison, felon kills someone while out, felon goes back to prison.

The main thing I'd like to address is the idea of Abbott as a "hardened criminal" as he is referred to repeatedly in the other reviews.

Nowadays, folks in the know don't call people "hardened criminals". The modern term is "career offender". I find both terms interesting. For the first term, I would like to ask the question: What is the difference between a "hardened" criminal and a "Non-hardened" criminal? Well, a hardened criminal has been to prison. Also: When does a regular offender become a "career" offender? Not to belabor the point, but once a prisoner becomes "hardened" or a "career offender", the odds are that he or she will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

People who have not been convicted of a felony like to judge those who do. Judging others makes us feel better about ourselves. It's harder to empthasize with the stigmatized then with normals.

I think it is important to point out that the juvenille justice system in which Abbott came of age was, by modern standard, barbaric. Abbott was obviously insitutionalized from a very early age, and he stayed that way. How can we blame Abbott for internalizing the message that society sent him from the time he was twelve?

Abbott should be celebrated, if only because he struggled against the label society gave him. That he failed in his struggle speaks not to any weakness of character on his part, it just means that he's a normal person who doesn't always succeed.

Rating:
Summary: Take it For What It's Worth
Review: Truly, the story of Jack Abbott is one of those late twentieth century chestnuts that will endure in literature and film long after people have actually forgotten the man and this book. Abbott is a symbol for the excesses of New York style limosine liberalism. Wealthy author becomes pen pals with convicted felon, publishes book of felon's letters, felon becomes cause celebre, author gets felon out of prison, felon kills someone while out, felon goes back to prison.

The main thing I'd like to address is the idea of Abbott as a "hardened criminal" as he is referred to repeatedly in the other reviews.

Nowadays, folks in the know don't call people "hardened criminals". The modern term is "career offender". I find both terms interesting. For the first term, I would like to ask the question: What is the difference between a "hardened" criminal and a "Non-hardened" criminal? Well, a hardened criminal has been to prison. Also: When does a regular offender become a "career" offender? Not to belabor the point, but once a prisoner becomes "hardened" or a "career offender", the odds are that he or she will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

People who have not been convicted of a felony like to judge those who do. Judging others makes us feel better about ourselves. It's harder to empthasize with the stigmatized then with normals.

I think it is important to point out that the juvenille justice system in which Abbott came of age was, by modern standard, barbaric. Abbott was obviously insitutionalized from a very early age, and he stayed that way. How can we blame Abbott for internalizing the message that society sent him from the time he was twelve?

Abbott should be celebrated, if only because he struggled against the label society gave him. That he failed in his struggle speaks not to any weakness of character on his part, it just means that he's a normal person who doesn't always succeed.