|
 Paternalist
figure of the Saint Quentin prison, he is however its head warden. And
yet sometimes, he is able to get along with some of his prisoners. And
it is the case with the Perkins prisoner. Because even if he does not
say it clearly, he doubts of his culpability. He finds in Joe a small I
do not know what that the other prisoners do not have...
And, contrarily to the police officer who accompanies him, he perfectly
feels this difference between him and the other prisoners : perhaps the
innocence.
It
is not without relief that he comes to announce to Joe in person, and
not in his office because he finds him in the middle of the other
prisoners, in the prison court doing exercises, that he is released today for good
behaviour : his release has just been accepted. His own words towards
the prisoner are
simple and foul of a kind of affection.
Whereas
he is doing physical exercises, Joe does not immediately realize the
good news. This is only when the other prisoners congratulate him that
Joe starts to realize what is going on. Spontaneously, the warden warmly
shakes his hand.
Then, he joins Joe Perkins in his cell, whereas he is
finishing his bag. And, because he fears for his future, he advises to
him not to go back to Santa Barbara. He hopes that he will leave for another destination,
it does not matter which one - the United States are wide - to begin a
new life. And because he knows that his advices will not be used, before
seeing him leaving from Saint Quentin, he wishes him good luck for the
future. He looks after Joe leaving the prison, under the eyes of the
other prisoners.
Character
of only one episode, the head warden allows to present Joe's uprightness
: this is not all the Saint Quentin prisoners who have the right of the
same treatment. He also and especially allows us, for the continuation,
to line up at Joe' side, rather than of his father's, John, when this
one will refuse the family roof to him and will withdraw his confidence
to him. Somewhere, the head warden places in Joe the confidence that his
father did not want to give him...
Portrait written
for this site by Lilian
|
