The reason I felt bad for Earl was because of the end, the scene when he's in the car heading away from the crime scene. He begins to pat down his pockets, looking for a pen, but can't find one. He is frantically looking for a pen so he can write down that he did it, he finally got the guy. He couldn't find a pen though, and he had handcuffs on and was trying to get the cops attention to give him a pen, yet to no avail. Since he had a tattoo of the guys face on his chest, I began to wonder if he has killed before. That would explain why he was in the institution in the first place. Maybe he is a serial killer and doesn't even know it because he can't ever write down the fact that he has done it. So he goes around
But after watching Memento I began wondering if he was like Leonard and chose to kill. It seems like Leonard uses his disability as an excuse. Here are a few reasons why I think he uses it as an excuse.
1)Why didn't Teddy write on the picture of Leonard looking happy, "You got him! He's dead," or something like that.2)Why did he take a picture of Leonard and not the guy he killed?
3)Just the ending in general, with Leonard making it so he will go after Teddy.
In conclusion, I think Leonard would be a serial killer. I think he kills because he can, there is no reason for him to stop, and it seems like he doesn't mind it because he knows he will forget it. Earl, however, I don't think wants to kill a lot of people, but he never can write down that he killed the guy. For Earl, it is an endless cycle, but for Leonard it's a matter of choice.
I don't think Earl will kill again. Granted Earl didn't get an opportunity to write down that he killed the man directly afterwards, If he was arrested, he'll most likely be told several times what he did to get arrested. Chances are he'll have a chance to write it down later on when someone reminds him of his crime. Earl doesn't seem to be very villainous, in other words, it seems unlikely that he'd harm other people. You do make an interesting point about the film though... If Teddy wanted Leonard to remember killing John G, he should have taken a picture of the body instead of Leonard. That hadn't even occurred to me.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know if he would believe them. I think he would wonder why he killed someone, and that's why he gets put into a psych ward (I believe that's where he is when the book opens). In which case, the book could even start at the end like the movie did. I agree, he doesn't seem villainous, and that is why I feel bad for him.
DeleteI agree that it is a matter of choice for Leonard. But I don't think he kills for the sake of killing. There are so many many pieces left out of the puzzle that it is impossible to know for sure. It is certainly possible that he is is simply deranged and likes killing, but it seems to me that he is simply deranged and will go to any length to avoid the pain and mental anguish of acknowledging his responsibility for the death of his wife. Having made that initial decision and stepping into the downward spiral of having to kill to feel okay, he has certainly become a serial killer. No J.G. is safe around him. That was a great point you made about Earl being trapped in an endless cycle. I had to go back and read that part again. He just needs a pen.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are pieces left out; but if he is choosing to kill, then (in my opinion) it makes since that he is killing for the sake of killing. It makes since in my head, but I realize trying to explain this...it just sounds ridiculous and confusing haha
DeleteI like the idea of Leonard being a serial killer. In ten years will Leonard be the next Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter? Hannibal Lecter was a serial killer who knew what he was doing was wrong, but in the case of Benjamin Raspel, the flute player, he thought he was doing a service the community. In Leonard's case, he is doing a service to the community. He is killing and getting rid of drug dealers. Leonard is innocent because he can never remember the killings.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Teddy wants Leonard to remember that he killed THE John G. Teddy wants to use Leonard to kill many "John Gs" so he wouldn't want Leonard to know the truth. Of course, I'm not sure when Teddy decides to use Leonard. Also, Teddy underestimates the way that Leonard will decide to 'adapt' his memories.
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