Lee Child's Jack Reacher - A Character Study
Hey, guys!
So as a friend of mine pointed out, I haven't written a post about books in a while now. The last one was in April of last year. So, today I'm going to talk about one of my favorites protagonists in a book series. That's right. Today, I'm gonna talk about Jack Reacher. No middle name.
Way back in 1995, James D. "Jim" Grant was fired from his job at Granada Television in Manchester. Fast forward to March 1997, Grant publishes his first book, Killing Floor, under the pen name Lee Child. As of today (2019) Child has written 23 books and a collection of short stories, all revolving around this one specific character: Jack Reacher. What makes him so special that even after 24 books in 22 years, people still return to this character and are still a fan of his! Fun Fact: Lee Child went to the same high school as the legendary fantasy writer, J.R.R. Tolkien.
So, today, I'm going to examine why Reacher is such a likable character as compared to others who have tried to replicate Child's formula but failed.
In the books, before the actual story starts, there is a profile of Reacher give. According to this profile, Jack Reacher was born to Josephine Moutier Reacher and William "Stan" Reacher on the 29th of October 1960, in a military base. He had an elder brother, by the name of Joe Reacher. All his family is deceased. He spent most of his childhood around the world on military bases and moving from one place to another often. He has nearly 13 years of service in the United States Military Police Corps and took early retirement in 1997. After 1997, he started to roam the United States, mostly exploring, and occasionally helping take down the local crime ring.
This is a background of Reacher. This background itself makes Reacher an interesting character. He left the Military after 13 years of service at the age of 36. This is a very strategic age chosen by Lee Child as he is experienced enough to fight off bad guys and deliver justice, but not so old that he lacks the physicality to do so. Another great thing in the stories is that Reacher spent his childhood in foreign bases and was always changing schools. This meant that wherever he went, he was always the "new guy". The one they pick on. So, this gives Reacher the experience, not just theoretical, but practical experience in hand-to-hand combat, which often devolve into brawls. This gives him an edge on his opponents, no matter how muscular or bigger than him they are.
Another aspect of what makes reacher so interesting is his psychology. Reacher fits well into the category of a sociopath. A sociopath can be identified through the following symptoms: lack of empathy, inability to feel remorse for one's actions, difficult relationships, manipulative, deceitfulness, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and risky behavior. Now, if you were to pick up any of the 24 books of his, you will notice that Reacher ticks off all of these characteristics. We as an audience are attracted to the casual way Reacher beats up five guys so bad that they're probably going to be disabled for the rest of their lives, and still sleep like a baby.
Another thing we love about Reacher is his twisted sense of justice. Reacher doesn't care about the laws, he doesn't care about what is morally right, or how he shouldn't kill the bad guys, but give them over to the law. Reacher does what he feels is right and doesn't care about what the world thinks of him. For example, in the 2011 Reacher novel, The Affair, Reacher was supposed to hand in the people who had been responsible for the murder of Janice Chapman. Instead, he breaks their necks and leaves them to die. This gives us a clear example of Reacher's twisted moral compass.
So this was me, exploring what made Jack Reacher such an interesting character in the novels. Of course, there is a lot left to cover, so maybe I will do a second part. Tell me in the comments whether or not you would like to see the second part of this. I will see you, next time!
So as a friend of mine pointed out, I haven't written a post about books in a while now. The last one was in April of last year. So, today I'm going to talk about one of my favorites protagonists in a book series. That's right. Today, I'm gonna talk about Jack Reacher. No middle name.
Way back in 1995, James D. "Jim" Grant was fired from his job at Granada Television in Manchester. Fast forward to March 1997, Grant publishes his first book, Killing Floor, under the pen name Lee Child. As of today (2019) Child has written 23 books and a collection of short stories, all revolving around this one specific character: Jack Reacher. What makes him so special that even after 24 books in 22 years, people still return to this character and are still a fan of his! Fun Fact: Lee Child went to the same high school as the legendary fantasy writer, J.R.R. Tolkien.
So, today, I'm going to examine why Reacher is such a likable character as compared to others who have tried to replicate Child's formula but failed.
In the books, before the actual story starts, there is a profile of Reacher give. According to this profile, Jack Reacher was born to Josephine Moutier Reacher and William "Stan" Reacher on the 29th of October 1960, in a military base. He had an elder brother, by the name of Joe Reacher. All his family is deceased. He spent most of his childhood around the world on military bases and moving from one place to another often. He has nearly 13 years of service in the United States Military Police Corps and took early retirement in 1997. After 1997, he started to roam the United States, mostly exploring, and occasionally helping take down the local crime ring.
This is a background of Reacher. This background itself makes Reacher an interesting character. He left the Military after 13 years of service at the age of 36. This is a very strategic age chosen by Lee Child as he is experienced enough to fight off bad guys and deliver justice, but not so old that he lacks the physicality to do so. Another great thing in the stories is that Reacher spent his childhood in foreign bases and was always changing schools. This meant that wherever he went, he was always the "new guy". The one they pick on. So, this gives Reacher the experience, not just theoretical, but practical experience in hand-to-hand combat, which often devolve into brawls. This gives him an edge on his opponents, no matter how muscular or bigger than him they are.Another aspect of what makes reacher so interesting is his psychology. Reacher fits well into the category of a sociopath. A sociopath can be identified through the following symptoms: lack of empathy, inability to feel remorse for one's actions, difficult relationships, manipulative, deceitfulness, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and risky behavior. Now, if you were to pick up any of the 24 books of his, you will notice that Reacher ticks off all of these characteristics. We as an audience are attracted to the casual way Reacher beats up five guys so bad that they're probably going to be disabled for the rest of their lives, and still sleep like a baby.
Another thing we love about Reacher is his twisted sense of justice. Reacher doesn't care about the laws, he doesn't care about what is morally right, or how he shouldn't kill the bad guys, but give them over to the law. Reacher does what he feels is right and doesn't care about what the world thinks of him. For example, in the 2011 Reacher novel, The Affair, Reacher was supposed to hand in the people who had been responsible for the murder of Janice Chapman. Instead, he breaks their necks and leaves them to die. This gives us a clear example of Reacher's twisted moral compass.
So this was me, exploring what made Jack Reacher such an interesting character in the novels. Of course, there is a lot left to cover, so maybe I will do a second part. Tell me in the comments whether or not you would like to see the second part of this. I will see you, next time!
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Well written Varun ..... Jack Reacher is my favourite too ..... The taut writing makes the books simply unputdownable .....
ReplyDeleteYou writing has gnited my curiosity.
ReplyDeleteWhich book of Reacher do you recommend for a first time.
Engrossing and captivating read ,Good work!👌
ReplyDeleteEngrossing and captivating read ,Good work!👌
ReplyDeleteEngrossing and captivating read ,Good work!👌
ReplyDelete