Along Came a Spider - Theme
Uploaded by childgenius7 on May 17, 2006
A memory of sadness and pain always remains in one’s mind longer than one of happiness. These negative memories will resurface each time people are reminded of them, and will cause them to act differently in situations then they would have if these past, negative experiences had not taken place. In the novel, Along Came a Spider by James Patterson, the negative experiences that the characters have been put through affect their emotions, feelings, and decisions throughout the rest of their lives. The result of these depressing memories is shown through the actions of Jezzie Flannagan, Alex Cross and Gary Soneji.
Firstly, the FBI agent Jezzie Flannagan is a character whose traumatizing childhood with her estranged parents, as well as sexism when entering the police field workforce has affected her strive for success in life. Jezzie’s childhood was not one of positive memories, but instead one of sadness and confusion at the fact that her parents were so intelligent and yet had no prospects in life: “Both my parents were alcoholics…Nobody outside knew how bad it was. They would have screaming fights constantly…My mother would stay awake half the night at the dining room table. She’d say ‘Get me my Jameson’s little Jezzie.’ I was their cocktail waitress…I loved my parents in a strange way…I didn’t want to be a smart failure like my parents.” (Patterson, 281) Jezzie knew that she did not want the life that her parents lead. She saw such potential in her parents’ abilities and made a promise to herself that she would not waste the intelligence that she knew she had inherited from them. As a result of her parents’ alcoholism, Jezzie decided that she would strive for success to assure that the promise was kept: “I worked long nights and weekends when I got into the Service. I set impossible goals for myself – supervisor at twenty-eight – and I beat every goal.” (Patterson, 282). Jezzie’s destructive childhood affected her in her future by giving her a strive to be the best and the most successful in any chosen endeavors. This need to be the best is also shown with Jezzie’s struggle in a sexist law enforcement career.
Furthermore, Jezzie struggled with sexism in a predominantly male workplace as she became a woman police officer. When Jezzie became a police officer, it was still considered a ‘man’s job’ and she faces harassment because of this: “Imagine...