The Whistler

Clyde’s feeling of guilt and shame for having betrayed Dubose highlights that he’s not motivated by any sense of justice or even guilt over Hugo’s death. He wants only to avoid the death penalty. The little discomfort he feels at having been involved in the murder isn’t strong enough to produce a sense of genuine remorse. Whether he was a decent person before getting involved with the Coast Mafia, he has now been corrupted to the point that his two strongest motivations are greed and fear.

Clyde thinks of Dubose and Hank as colleagues and feels a sense of loyalty to them and to the “business.” His loyalty stems from a combination of weakness and a need for external validation. He fears Dubose, but if anything, that increases his sense of loyalty. He admires his boss’s success—as measured in the external values of money and fear—and feels pride at being associated, even as an underling, with such a powerful individual. As in many authoritarian groups, he identifies with the organization itself and with the leader who represents it.

As with Carlita, the men have abandoned JoHelen, expecting her to look after herself. Pacheco advises Lacy to avoid endangering herself and recommends that JoHelen call the local police for help. Only Lacy understands that what the other woman needs is reassurance and emotional support. Unlike Myers and Cooley, Pacheco is not being callous. He recognizes that JoHelen needs help; he just feels that help should come from local police.

Once again, Gunther saves the day by providing backup and technical support. In a story that focuses on women supporting each other, Gunther is the one man who consistently has Lacy’s back. He appears in the story whenever Lacy confronts a task that calls on her considerable force of will—for example, when she forces herself to remember the collision and the immediate aftermath, and when she goes on rescue missions to retrieve Carlita and JoHelen. The fact that the other men don’t participate isn’t a criticism of men. The men who try to shield Lacy and press her to rely on local police are giving good advice. That advice just doesn’t consider the obligation that Lacy feels toward other women. The message is not that women can’t count on men or even that women should be tough and take care of themselves. The focus remains strongly on the importance of women supporting each other.

JoHelen’s participation in the scheme to take down the judge is no less corrupt than anyone else’s. She’s happy to get revenge on the Tappacola tribe for excluding her from the financial benefits of membership, and Cooley talked her into participating with the promise of a huge windfall from the whistleblower payout. Otherwise, although she dislikes the judge, JoHelen wouldn’t have become involved. Once again, the men have abandoned a woman, and JoHelen has only other women to turn to. Lacy provides exactly the response JoHelen needs to feel in control again. Lacy acknowledges the other woman’s feelings before offering instructions to get her safely through the night.