The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1959-10-29

by representing him as dan
gerous" character.
When the story opens a new
warden, Carl Hoffman, Phi. D.
in rehabilitation from the Mid
west, has just been appointed
head of Larkin following a long
battle of liberals against the
policies of ignorance and brutal
ity practiced at the prison by its
former warden. Hoffman, in the
three initial weeks of his admin
istration, has fired several SER
geants, forbidden the use of the
lash, and so forth.
Therefore Walker approaches
him about Johnny's parole with
full confidence that at last justice
will be done. With horror and in
credulity Walker learns that
since Gums brother is a power
full and vociferous member of the
state legislature, Hoffman fears
to oppose the sergeant and thus
refuses to grant the parole.
From this point on, matters
grow rapidly worse. Johnny,
frantic to get out because his
wife, daughter of an upper-mid-
dle-class Delta afmily, has not
written to or visited him for
over three years, tries to escape.
He is shot in the course of the
attempt, returned to Larkin, and
subsequently learns three things:
first, that his wounded leg has
healed shorter than the other;
second, that he is to be lashed
by Guin, who has insisted on this
measure ''for the good of the
prison." and third, that his term
Of Imprisonment has been leng-
thened.
Completely frustrated, and on
the verge Of a nervous break
down, he commences a series of
vicious personal fights with his
fellow prisoners.
Walker, likewise frantic, con-
tinues to plead hopelessly with
Hoffman to do something about
Johnny before he kills someone
or is killed himself.
The climax of the story is
reached when Johnny makes a
second, successful escape attempt,
kidnaps his wife, and flees with
her to the upcountry cabin in
which he was born. Finally rea-
lizing that his wife no longer
loves him, Johnny lets her go
and prepares to shoot it out with
the arriving sheriff's posse.
Walker meanwhile, in ignor-
ance of the escape, and in spite
of Hoffman's threat that such an
effort will cost him his job, has
gone to the state capital to seek
political help for Johnny.
Returning to Larkin, his mis-
sion failure, and learning of
Johnny's whereabouts, he joins
the posse at the cabin and, with
a cold, terrifying awareness that
he is deliberately risking his
life, finally walks up to its door,
enters, and persuades Johnny to
give himself up.
Mr.. Harrington, who teaches
creative writing at the University
of Mississippi, has a fine and eff
fective prose style. His use of de-
tail, his ability to build and sus-
tain suspense, and his character
ization are particularly good.
His portrayal of the movers
two women, Johnny's wife and
Walkers, both of whom are
driven by a tremendous need for
security, is excellent.
Also effective is the way in
which the author, through under
statement and implication alone,
manages to underline the fact
that the Larkin inmates are by
no means the only prisoners" in
the book, and to show that, at
the end, Howard Walker and
Johnny himself are the only
characters who have managed to
escape from the personal prisons
of their own fears and inse-
curities.
The only criticism we would
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