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Essay / Character Analysis of Jake Brigance in a Time to Kill
A Time To Kill was written by John Grisham and published in 1989 by Wynwood Press. A Time To Kill is set in Clanton, Mississippi in the 1980s. This story tells of a black father's revenge against two white men who violently raped his ten-year-old daughter. A white lawyer, Jake Brigance, takes on the case of Carl Lee who is charged with capital murder after killing the two men who raped his daughter. Jake's involvement in the affair attracts the attention of the Klu Klux Klan. The KKK is wreaking havoc on everyone involved in the case and their families. The strength of Jake's final argument secures Carl Lee's freedom by appealing to people's empathy. Carl Lee is found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Jake Brigance is a thirty-two-year-old white man from Mississippi. Jake is the character who is generally confident in himself. He is an intelligent, arrogant, ambitious and courageous lawyer. Jake is arrogant because, although he is young, he has won three murder trials where the defendants were black men. When Jake takes on a case, he's dedicated to winning it. He spends hours and hours of his life working on the files he handles: “Few people take care of the morning like Jake Brigance. » (Grisham 20). Even though Jake had the odds stacked against him, he never gave up on his cases, like when he defended Carl Lee. Courageously, Jake defends black men in a city full of racial prejudice. Jake thinks Carl Lee deserves justice. Jake tells Mr. Buckley, the lawyer prosecuting Carl Lee for capital murder, that if his daughter was ever raped, he hoped he would have the courage to do what Carl Lee did. Jake is able to identify with Carl Lee and put himself in other people's shoes. Jake respects his mentor, Lucien Wilbanks, because Lucien is very intelligent and gives wise advice to Jake. Lucien respects Jake and wants what is best for him. He wants Jake to make good decisions in life, which is why he is always ready to give him advice. Jake does not get along with Rufus Buckley because Buckley is suing Carl Lee for the murder of the two white men who raped Carl Lee's daughter. “To hell with Buckley. Do you think he's playing fair? He's a snake and you don't like him as much as I do. » (Grisham 307) Jake does not tend to get along with people who he believes do not have good morals. Jake is so devoted to Carl Lee's case and desirous of justice that he is willing to send away his own wife and child and put his own safety at risk. One of Jake's aspirations is to help people of color achieve justice. This is evidenced by the number of black people he represents during his career. Jake is a character with many strengths and weaknesses. One of his strengths is that he is not easily intimidated. When the KKK burns down his house as a threat and warning, he still doesn't give up on the Lee case or the Hailey family. Another of his strengths is that he is very intelligent. Jake Brigance is a successful lawyer due to his young age, partly because he is very hardworking. “He was jealous of his time... He planned his day meticulously. » One of Jake's weaknesses is his idealism. Because Jake is so certain that Carl Lee should not be punished, he assumes that others would see it as easily as he does. Another weakness of Jake's is his arrogance. “Jake had been practicing alone, and since 1979, the year he was disbarred. He liked it, especially since there was no other lawyer in Clanton competent enough to practice with him. ».