Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong. A multitude of individuals in this world have a purpose for retaliation against others. The result of vengeance is oftentimes irrational, for innocent people turn into the victims of wrongful accusations. In Mystic River, Dave Boyle becomes the subject of vengeful rage and perilous vindication, as he leaves his wife and son behind at the expense of a murderer. A murderer he truly knows. A murderer he considers a childhood friend. A murderer he knows as Jimmy Markum.
Jimmy Markum believes he has everything planned out. Painting prospective scenes of Katie’s death onto the canvas of his intricate mind, he concocts ideas that Dave is responsible for the homicide. To Dave’s dismay, Jimmy gruesomely shoots him and leaves his body in a river. Days later, Jimmy discovers the real murderer of his daughter, Silent Ray and his friend. He begins to encompass simultaneous feelings of guilt and emptiness.
A man who is emotionally unstable after becoming the victim of molestation as a youth, Dave’s poor mental state still harbors in his brain up to his death. His impromptu withdrawal from the life of his wife and son, Celeste and Michael, forges a desolate pain in their hearts. Who is there to replace him in his son’s life? Jimmy’s rage leaves a child to mature without a father figure and a wife to become a single mother. The consequences of his insensitive decision outweigh the benefits. Jimmy killing of his childhood friend, a father, and a husband is not justifiable. As the old adage says, “two wrongs don’t make a right.” In this instance, there is only one act wrongdoing: Jimmy concurs that Dave is Katie’s killer, so he murders him to seek an irrational vengeance.
I like how you identified all the consequences of Jimmy killing Dave, such as how a boy will be fatherless and a once wife will now be a single mother. I simply viewed it as horrible that an innocent man was killed, but did not divulge any deeper into the other characters lives like you mentioned. The "little right" really did branch into multiple "great wrongs."
ReplyDeleteIf Celeste were to find out that Jimmy murdered her husband she would experience a special kind of pain. After all she is the one who tells Jimmy she believes Dave is Katy's killer. She is the one who confirms his suspicions, and because Dave is killed ensuing their conversation she will forever feel partially responsible for his death.
ReplyDeleteGreat job an analyzing one scenario of revenge in the movie, perhaps the biggest one, but there is another case where Dave is the one taking revenge. Dave spotted a child molester which reminded him of his childhood sexual offenders. This sudden reminder fueled Dave to get revenge on child molesters and resulted in killing the pedophile. This “little right” resulted in him having blood marinated on his hands and clothes. If that never happened, there would have been no suspicions of Dave being Katie’s murder. That act of revenge ultimately contributed to the “great wrong”.
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