Quote:
Originally Posted by Froide
..I did finish John Grisham's novel, A Time To Kill (1988), although I was shocked by the words and images he used to describe the black defendant, Carl Lee, padding toward him, barefoot, black, leathery soles slapping against the floor (or some words to that effect, which evoke images of an animal, not a man). Although I read the book years ago, when it was first released, I distinctly remember rereading that passage in an effort to give Grisham the benefit of the doubt - i.e., to discern whether Grisham was describing the prisoner through the lens of the culture depicted in the book, or through his own....
|
I also agree with Barry.
So much so that I searched the book for the reference you made. I searched separately on each of "leathery", "sole" (only a couple found, none of which in the context), "padding" (not found), "padded" (only found with reference to likes of padding on seats), and "black ". The only passage I could find that came even remotely close to what you claimed was
Leroy wore the standard Ford County jail issue of glow-in-the-dark orange coveralls. Pink sponge rollers shot in all directions from his scalp, and two long greasy cornrows clung to the back of his neck. His black leathery feet were protected from the dirty linoleum by a pair of lime green terry-cloth slides. No socks. A wicked, aged scar started next to his right earlobe, made the ridge over his cheekbone, and connected neatly with his right nostril. It proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Leroy was no stranger to stabbings and carvings. He wore it like a medal. He smoked Kools.
Unless there is some other passage that I did not find with my searches, it was Leroy Glass whose black feet were referred to (not Carl Lee's), and nothing like "padding towards him", "soles slapping against the floor" etc. in the passage {EDIT: (nor any other passage that I could find)}.
In my reading the description of "black leathery feet" instead of just "leathery feet" is justified in that it paints the contrast between the color of the feet and the lime green terry-cloth slides on them.
I would be interested in any other passage which I may have missed but to which you were referring in making your claim.