Unexpected

Within the section, “The Corner,” Perry and Dick attempted, time and again, to evade their execution. However, despite their efforts, they could not escape their fatality. The two men accepted their imminent death in two very opposite ways. Dick embraced his death with courage and fortitude. He stated before being put to death “I just want to say that I hold no hard feelings. You people are sending me to a better world that this ever was.” (339). Roy Church noticed this behavior as well and said “I never would have believed he had the guts. To take it like he did. I had him tagged a coward.” (339). Perry on the other hand, approached his demise with despair and misery. He viewed capital punishment negatively as he expressed “I think it’s a helluva think to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally or legally.” (340). It is possible that he had these feelings because he did not feel guilt or shame from his crimes. In fact, when he had diner with Donald Cullivan he expands upon this in saying “Am I sorry? If that’s what you mean-I’m not. I don’t feel anything about. I wish I did. But nothing about it bothers me a bit.” (291). Perry’s lack of remorse could be a rationale for his solemn approach to his death. However, in his final statement he says “It would be meaningless to apologize for what I did. Even inappropriate. But I do. I apologize.” (340). His sullen disposition could also have been caused by the sudden realization of the seriousness of his crimes, but this does not address his aversion towards capital punishment. For whatever reason, Perry perceived his death as a wrongful one, but Dick welcomed his. While the reactions are different between the two individuals, the reactions are unexpected from the characters themselves. Dick, the more masculine figure, was the one who I thought would be sad and miserable, and Perry the one to embrace his death with vigor and understanding. This proves that both characters are not the people that we believed them to be.