A Time to kill

By John Grisham
 BRIEF SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER
The first 100 pages narrate the vicious rape of Tonya Hailey, a 10year old black girl at the hands
of two drunken male redneck white supremists, Billy Ray Cobb and Williard.
•Post the gruesome rape, the felons throw her in the shallow ravine called Lake Chatulla
•A group of black men who were fishing in the vicinity spot Tonya, and take her to her family.
•Her father Carl Lee Jr is devastated to see his daughter’s critical condition, and vows to take
revenge.
•The two felons are taken into custody and are sent to trial after a brief preliminary hearing.
•Carl lee confides in Jake Briggance, a young lawyer, and family friend of the Hailey’s about his
intention to kill the rapists, to which Jake expresses his strong disapproval, even though it was
morally consistent.
•Concurrently ,Carl Lee Jr and his brother Lester, make arrangements for the killing.

• Meanwhile, Tonya’s condition gets better and she returns home.

•May 20th- Hearing of the felons bail plea
Post the court proceedings, Cobb and WIlliard are getting out of the courtroom, walking towards the car.

•Carl lee Jr jumps out of the janitor’s closet and opens fire at the two, injuring Sergeant Looney, and killing
Cobb and WIlliard in broad daylight.

•Carl Lee Jr is charged with capital murder and is represented by Jake, who pleads temporary insanity on the
part of his client.

•Carl Lee is prosecuted by District Attorney Rufus Buckley, a corrupt and ambitious lawyer, who fights the
case, to build a political career.

•Racial tensions, hit an all time high, when white supremacist elements try and hamper the functioning of
judicial proceedings and create ruckus in the county, to avenge Cobb and WIlliard’s death.

•The judge presiding over the case, flatly refuses to entertain Jake’s request for a change in venue, and
virtually guarantees an ‘all white jury’ to hear the case.
•Cobb’s elder brother Fredd, seeks to avenge his brother’s death and enlists the help of the Ku
Klux Klan, who resort to violent methods, to muffle justice and implant the seed of fear in the
minds of the county’s black community and the people who are defending CLJ’s cause.

•However, despite the plethora of setbacks, Jake refuses to yield to the threats. Throughout the
trial he builds astute arguments and passionately defends his client.

•Towards the end of the novel, we see him deliver a captivating speech to the jurors, where he
asks them to gauge Carl lee’s actions and emotions from the perspective of a white man and
describes the gaury details of the child’s rape and subsequent torture.

•The jurors, who were initially hesitant to deliver the judgement in favour of CLJ, finally do so,
and quite remarkably, he is declared ‘Not guilty’ for the murders on the grounds of temporary
insanity.

•The novel ends on a happy note, where CLJ returns to his family .
 CENTRAL IDEAS
Racism

•White supremacy

•All white jury

•Communal Polarization: not because of the nature of the act, but beacuse of the partie

•Methods adopted by the KKK

Violence:

•Rape of the 10 year old girl.—symbol of blind hatred and prejudice

•Methods used by the KKK to muffle dissenting opinions to their notions of justice—murders, gutting jake’s house, torture, criminal
intimidation.

•CLJ’s maniacal killing of Cobb and Willard

Social convention Vs Written Laws:

The town was witness to quite a few murders of this kind (eg. Lester’s trial), hence although CLJ’s actions were legally inconsistent, he
was pardoned by the jury.

Family

Conscience and Morality-

Was it right for Jake to not take enough action to stop CLJ?

Was CLJ justified in his actions?

Who is more guilty? The rapist who wanted to take away the girl’s life or the father who took the law in his hands to seek the true sense
justice.
THEMES
Racism/Bigotry:
• The book is not about whether a father should kill a daughters
rapist but it is about whether a black man should ever be allowed
to kill a white man, under any circumstances.
• The trial gives rise to almost a civil war in the country with the
Ku Klux Clan and the black people attacking each other.
Justice and the law:
• Influence of racial discrimination and societal beliefs over the jury in
determining the case.
• Request to change the venue of trial to include black people in the
jury.
• In his closing arguments, Jake Brigance insists the jury to be
unbiased and imagine the victim to be a ‘white girl’.

An all white jury for determination of the case.

Ethics:
• The movie portrays the essence of ethics and morality in seeking
justice.
• Although the jury knew Carl Lee Hailey was clearly guilty of murder
yet they decided that he wasn’t because they knew what he did was
right.
• Jake Brigance knew what is right and what is wrong. He took Carl
Lee’s case even though he was black.
Moral courage/Bravery:
• The legal counsel of Carl Lee, Jake Brigance, fought the case with
complete bravery and extreme commitment.
• Inspite of getting threat calls, attacks against him and his family,
his house being burnt and being judged for supporting a black
man; Jake Brigance didn’t quit.

In the movie portrayal of the book, Jake Brigance can be

seen fighting the case for Carl Lee, with complete bravery
and commitment.
GENRE
 A Time to Kill-Legal Thriller

Thriller is a broad genre of literature having numerous overlapping

subgenres which gives the readers heightened feelings of suspense,
surprise, anticipation, anxiety and excitement.

Legal Thriller is a sub-genre of thriller in which legal system acts as

the major framework of the literary work and lawyers and their
employees are the main characters.
The book is bound to stimulate the emotions of every reader as the
story is filled with surprise elements.
The story proceeds towards Carl Lee Hailey legally being accused of
murdering his daughter’s rapists.
PURPOSE OF THE
BOOK

 TO SHOW THAT JUSTICE IS BEING
DELIVERED

 This novel raises a question whether a white jury possibly acquit
a black man who has killed two of their own ? The most
important matter in jury selection then is simply skin colour .

Can you see her? Her raped ,beaten ,broken , body soaked in their urine ,in
their semen, in her blood left to die. Can you see her ?
 To show the atrocities faced by the black people


 Racial discrimination.
 Seclusion from the society.
 Not being treated as humans.
 Rights being violated.
 Harassed mentally as well as physically.
 TO BRING A CHANGE



Much of the story rings loud warning bells about the prevalence and the

destructiveness of the present day bigotry


The way the jury in the end acquitted Carl lee hailey shows that there are

ways which can remove the unfair practises prevailing in the society.
 SETTING AN EXAMPLE


 The novel sets an example that justice is delivered
irrespective of your skin colour.
 Further it gives a lesson to those who do not treat black as
human beings and shows that the colour does not decide
who should be convicted or be held liable.
 It highlights the social stigma which weakens the roots of
the judicial system.
 UNDERSTANDING HUMAN AND POLITICAL
THOUGHT


 Despite several warnings and threats by the Ku Klux Klan either to Jake Tyler
Brigance or to Ellen there remained a general human tendency to not to give
up and to help Carl lee even when the circumstances were not in their favour.
 Ku Klux Klan tried every possible manner to bring fear in the minds of the
people.

Arson committed by KKK on Jake’s house

 TITLE OF THE BOOK



The title of the novel is appropriate and explains the inner contents.

It highlights a heinous crime and shows that –
1. Whatever was done by Carl lee was justified.

2.It was high time to expect anything from the jury trials as they
were being the discriminative.

3.The incident was so brutal that the title “A Time to Kill”specifies

that it was the right time to provide justice to the ailing daughter.
 Further it shows that this was the chance with the black
community to punish the persons for their sins and hence was
named as A TIME TO KILL .

Fathers have a duty to kill men who violate their daughters in such a
heinous fashion
.
 TONE OF THE NOVEL

• The Novel’s tone, overall is very serious and tragic since it deals with the rape of a
1 0 - y e a r - o l d g i r l , To n y a H a i l e y. T h e a u t h o r, John Grisham has written the novel in
such a way that it does not digress from it’s themes of racism and inequality in
social justice even one bit.

• At the same time, the protagonist, Jake Brigance’s character also instils a sense of
hope in the reader as his fight to defend Carl Lee Hailey and the entire process of
the trial, Jake looks forward to a changed Southern United States, one free of
r a c i s m a n d o t h e r d i s c r i m i n a t i o n b a s e d o n c o l o u r.

• Jake, in his interviews with the press, also mentions about “A New South” where he
e x p r e s s e s h i s v i s i o n o f a r a c i s m - f r e e s o u t h e r n s o c i e t y.

• T h e n o v e l h e r e i s a g r i p p i n g s t o r y, o n e t h a t a d d r e s s e s a g r u e s o m e i s s u e , b u t w i t h
h o p e f o r a b e t t e r t o m o r r o w, w h i c h w i l l b e b r o u g h t a b o u t b y t h e a c q u i t t a l o f C a r l L e e .
 QUALITY OF THE CONTENT

• In our perspective, the story is an engaging read. It is a thriller in its truest sense
as it keeps the reader on the edge while reading this. The involvement of the Ku
Klux Klan and the hate crimes they commit in this novel, along with the gritting case
fought by the protagonist against all odds is not only interesting but makes the
r e a d e r p o n d e r a b o u t h a r s h r e a l i t i e s t h a t p l a g u e A m e r i c a t o t h i s d a y.

• John Grisham, whose books have acquired a reputation of being excellent legal
thrillers makes this one a masterpiece in its own right as he captures critical and
sensitive issues with tact that can only be found in a literary genius.
 OUR VIEWS

• We think that the novel is a great piece, perhaps one of the best legal novels written.

• S e t i n t h e 8 0 s , i n F o r d C o u n t y, M i s s i s s i p p i i t a d d r e s s e s t h e c o m p l e x l e g a l i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e

legal system being favoured towards the whites, a common feature of Southern states even

t o d a y, where it is the African-American and the Hispanic community that become victims of

police oppression.

• The novel also squeezes out the very essence of justice and makes us wonder about the

morality of the killings despite flaring legal inconsistencies.

• I t als o addres s es is s ues at pers onal lev el , s u c h as the pl ight of C arl Lee as a father, w ho k il led

his daughter’s rapists and suffered for it. Does the plight of a father gain preponderance over

the right of his daughter ’s rapists to live?

• It also addresses issues of vigilante justice and how the punishment for Billy Ray Cobb and

Willard in the form of death, served to them by Carl Lee was right or wrong?
 LANGUAGE TYPE

 The novel has been narrated in third person by the author .

 Past tense has been used to portray the 1980’s America in order to give it a

touch of “Retrospective Narration” along with “Omniscient writing style”.

 Legal Jargon has been used in the novel but it has been explained in detail for

reader’s convenience.

 An attempt to showcase the Colloquial dissimilarity between the two races .

For Example: Incorrect grammar usage by the blacks or the use of various

prejudiced driven slangs

 CULPABLE
HOMICIDE

MOB
MISCHIEF
LYNCHING

LEGAL
RELEVANCE

KIDNAPPING AND
ABDUCTION DISCRIMINATION

RAPE
 Strengths

 The constant switch between the scenes and characters keeps the reader hooked to

the book.

 Apt portrayal of the court room and the trial with regard to all provisions of law.

 Another strength could be the ‘narration style’ of the novel.

 The storyline of the book is strong owing to its ‘relatability’ many of us can

notice.
 Weaknesses

 End of the book: The book ends on an unrealistic note with the acquittal of Carl

Lee Hailey despite the brutal murders.

 The book portrays that the judgment given by the judiciary was based on

emotions rather than rationale.

ENDING OF THE
BOOK
The book concludes with an unbiased jury system which declares
Carl Lee Hailey to be innocent.
The book ends with a hopeful and positive note, where the black and
white wives of Carl Lee Hailey and Jake Brigance can be observed
introducing their daughters to each other, in the black part of the town.
The ending beautifully ascertains, that racial division in the South
can be bridged.
CONCLUding remarks
The author, John Grisham has done an excellent job of story telling
and of portraying of problems that Afro-American defendants face in
getting a fair trial before all white jury.
Although legally, it is still conflicting whether Carl Lee was right by
taking law into his hands yet morally, the author succeeds in squeezing
out the essence of morality and equality required in justice.
The book is extremely useful as it shows us that in governing our
nation and eventually in living our lives, we must look past race and
colour and look for equality in it’s purest form.
The book gives immense satisfaction and pleasure to the readers and I
would highly recommend it to every book-lover.