The right most columns indicate if a character is mentioned 1st or 2nd in frequency. This shows how Lehane shifts between main character viewpoints in each scene as the story progresses.
In this first third of the novel, we can see that each character is introduced in relation to family, and to where that family fits in a social milieu. Moreover, the character's personality differentiates his place in the milieu. Lehane invests a great deal of scenes in initial characterization, such that disturbances occur frequently, and then the characters are examined in sequel for their reaction to these disturbances. The reactions impact all of the characters in diverse ways, directly, or indirectly, and perceptions of events change consequently as the timeline moves forward from boyhood to later.
Sean's socio-economic separation from Jimmy and Dave is heightened by the major initial disturbance of Dave's abduction, as is his emotional remoteness from his wife Lauren. This leads Sean to a truncated self-searching for redemption from his guilt over the abduction, and a need to seek justice in his work as a police detective.
The 'stealing' of Dave becomes an act of power and violence that the powerless Jimmy learns to emulate, leading first to school expulsion, and prison, and then, later, retaliatory murder.
The abduction severs Dave's psyche into two halves, one a pretense of normality, and the other, the damaged boy held by the 'wolves', full of rage.
Lehane then allows each scene to change each character in their own ways, in relation to their primary internal struggle, and the result of these internal struggles, cascades through each character in consequence. And Lehane examines these consequences in strict relief relative to the background of the character's immediate social relations. What happens to Dave then will impact his wife and son, what happens to Jimmy will impact his wife and daughter, and so on, such that the emotional stakes become higher. In parallel, the family history generated defects lead to flaws in judgement along the way, with tragic, or redemptive consequences, as the story reaches its decisive battle.
|
word* |
percent tot |
scene |
element |
event |
sean |
Jimmy |
Dave |
Other |
||
|
1377 |
1.0% |
disturbance |
Jimmy on the train tracks |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
600 |
1.4% |
reaction |
Father forbids Sean f. Jimmy, the flats |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
2927 |
3.4% |
disturbance |
Jimmy wants to steal car |
|||||||
|
|
disturbance |
Jimmy Dave fight |
||||||||
|
|
Major Incident |
Dave abduction |
1 |
1 |
||||||
|
438 |
3.7% |
reaction |
Sean and Father, Police |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
689 |
4.2% |
reaction |
Jimmy and Father, Dave stolen |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
2642 |
6.0% |
major Disturbance |
Dave returns, block party, isolation |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
2829 |
8.0% |
Reaction |
Dave is freak in school, Jimmy expelled, Sean separate |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
865 |
8.6% |
New characters, disturbance |
Brendan Loves Katie, elope |
1 |
||||||
|
520 |
9.0% |
Shading |
Jimmy, duaghter Katie is grown up, said good bye. |
1 |
||||||
|
1253 |
9.9% |
new character, shading |
grown up Dave, Celeste, social milieu |
1 |
||||||
|
433 |
10.2% |
shading |
Katie getting high w friend |
1 |
||||||
|
1900 |
11.5% |
disturbance, back story shading |
Katie dancing on bar, back story Roman , ex bf Bobby |
1 |
||||||
|
47 |
11.5% |
emo shading |
Brendan dreams of Katie |
1 |
||||||
|
1116 |
12.3% |
Synchronicity |
Dave in bar w Katie |
1 |
||||||
|
3738 |
14.9% |
Major Disturbance |
shading, Celeste and family, Dave comes home w blood, the mugger, Celeste w Dave's clothes |
1 |
||||||
|
1982 |
16.3% |
disturbance |
Jimmy wakes up, Katie missing |
1 |
||||||
|
2480 |
18.0% |
shading |
Jimmy, Brendan market |
1 |
||||||
|
782 |
18.6% |
new character, disturbance |
Lauren, Sean's separated wife |
1 |
||||||
|
1422 |
19.5% |
shading |
Brendan and Katie backstory |
1 |
||||||
|
322 |
19.8% |
Major Disturbance |
911 call, Katie's car found |
1 |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
1557 |
20.9% |
new character, investigation begins |
Whitey Sean's boss, Katie car called in |
1 |
||||||
|
1167 |
21.7% |
new character, stakes, shading |
Jimmy's wife Annabeth, daughter Nadine, communion, social milieu |
1 |
||||||
|
1135 |
22.5% |
disturbance |
Sean in park looking for Katie |
1 |
||||||
|
1976 |
23.8% |
shading |
Jimmy crime, Annabeth backstory |
1 |
||||||
|
841 |
24.4% |
disturbance, investigation path |
Sean and blood in the park |
1 |
||||||
|
810 |
25.0% |
tension shading |
Jimmy w Nadine, Annabeth sees police car |
1 |
||||||
|
3984 |
27.8% |
disturbance, fake ally |
Celeste doubts about Dave's story |
1 |
||||||
|
1620 |
28.9% |
Disturbance |
Deveau , Jimmy in park observing police, allies, sees its Katie's car |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
282 |
29.1% |
reaction, disturbance 2 Sean |
Whitey, Sean in park, Jimmy asking for him |
1 |
||||||
|
1669 |
30.3% |
tension climbing |
Val Savage & Jimmy trying to get in park, Sean gets Troopers call |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
2622 |
32.1% |
shading |
Celeste doubts, cleans drain, no news of mugger, Katie on news |
1 |
||||||
|
1027 |
32.8% |
disturbance-reaction |
Jimmy talks 2 wife, will go in park |
1 |
||||||
|
2830 |
34.8% |
Inciting Incident-Catalyst |
Sean finds body, Jimmy breaks in, confronts Sean |
1 |
1 |
|||||
|
2864 |
36.8% |
reaction, stakes, beginning of who done it |
coroner takes body, boss Friel pressure on Whitey and Sean, possible suspects |
1 |
||||||
|
2122 |
38.2% |
backstory, reaction |
Jimmy in prison compared to waitinf for Katie, get in Sean's car |
1 |
||||||
|
113 |
38.3% |
emo |
Jimmy identifies Katie w Sean in morgue |
1 |
1 |
-