Joe Cinque

The Cinque’s yearn for retribution towards Anu Singh, yet the Garner questions the ability of the courts to provide justice. Through the structure of the quest narrative, Garner portrays the Cinque family as grief-stricken. This stark contrast between the Singh family is assisted through interracial stereotypes and familial positions. Maria Cinque stresses her willingness for capital punishment. The blunt, emotional tone in “The sentence should be Hang on that tree over there” Emphasises her need for vengeance. Her strong family connection is emphasised through her emotional tone.

It also highlights the restrictions placed upon the judicial system. A life sentence is only fourteen years, and this doesn’t appear to be able to console the family who has lost a son. Maria Cinque later states, “That’s not possible, but its fair”. Through this statement, Maria suggests the difficulty in establishing fairness and questions the role of justice. This idea is emphasised through the repetition of the motif “Joe Cinque is dead”. The blunt, directness of this comment penetrates into the reader and portrays the inconsolable reality of murder, and the powerlessness of the legal system to provide “fairness” or retribution.

The justice system is divided between providing a punishment or a rehabilitation sentence. Varied opinions are voiced throughout the novel, yet the court system silences the victim and focuses upon the actions of the perpetrator. Through providing no voice to the victim, the court system detracts from the crime and becomes a blurred image, solely focused upon distributing a sentence. The quote “Not to decide that because nothing will bring back Joe Cinque, he would focus on rehabilitation” shows the separation of the victim from the sentencing.

This moral issue of punishment cannot satisfy all parties, yet a decision must be made. Garner’s meeting with Justice Crispin provides an insight into the decision of the case and the lack of moral interpretation in the decision. The line “Suffered from the icy chill, the moral failure of the law. ” uses a metaphor to highlight the inability of the law to achieve an accepted decision. Crispin’s statement “(with reference to punishment) it doesn’t make anything better. It’s false hope. ” This shows the further restraint of sentencing, as they have no effect on what has already occurred.

The ultimate inability of sentencing to have a positive effect on any party is a moral dilemma which is unresolved throughout the novel. Garner’s overall quest to give the Cinque family a voice emphasises the effects of the justice system on the victim’s family. The Cinque’s inability to voice their emotion and opinions effectively draws all attention towards Anu Singh. The quote “But every place where he should have been was blank, without scent or colour: a point where nothing resonated” uses a bleak tone to emphasise Joe Cinque’s lack of presence in his own murder case.

Garner’s textual structure, effectively contrasts and separates Anu from Joe. The setting in which Garner meets with the Cinque’s is warm and inviting, in contrast to the setting of the courtroom. The homely imagery in, “A pink leather lounge suite. A dining table with six chairs. Another chair made of white plastic. ” assists in the establishment of Joe Cinque’s character. The familial connotations associated with Italians invites the reader to see a distinct contrast between Joe and Anu, and the structure of the quest narrative makes the reader see Joe as an innocent victim.

The use of an image following the soft tone in “We gazed in silence on her undefended son” makes the reader linger while gazing at the picture. It also creates textual integrity, as it wholly completes and consoles Joe Cinque. Garner’s representation of key ideas in the text is through her quest narrative form and character development. The moral issues developed throughout the novel make the reader question the effect of the judicial system and its ineffectiveness. Through this representation of justice, Garner successfully gives the Cinque family a voice which they had lost throughout the judicial process.