Seeds Of Hope

      I thoroughly enjoyed the ending of Tom Franklin’s “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter”, as it provided a satisfying conclusion to the main conflict.  After having to endure the infantile, presumptive population of Chabot for 272 pages, I am glad to finally see them inherit some level of intelligence and deduce the real criminals, albeit after twenty-five years.  When Larry “checked himself out” of the hospital, he not only literally exhibited an exeunt from his medical injuries, but also figuratively left behind decades rife with suspicion and isolation (269).  Franklin uses the hospital as a symbol for physical and spiritual convalescence to highlight Larry’s gradual removal from the negative eye of the public.  Instead of running away to cavort in another state, Silas thankfully admits his involvement in the Cindy Walker case and allows Larry to remove his communal shackles of oppression.  While I am slightly annoyed that it took so long for one man to fess up, I am content that it at least occurred.  Now, Larry can begin to recover and start living the life stolen from him as a young teenager.  And even more importantly, Larry can also reconnect with his lost boyhood friend.  When Silas asks if Larry “needs a ride”, he makes a laudable attempt to reach out to a person he has damaged so injudiciously (270).  The author creates pathos by evoking an emotion of joy from those previously betrayed by their close friends.   Silas’ concise, but genuine, good deed indirectly characterizes him as compassionate and truly sorry.  After the drive back home, Larry “thanks Silas” and returns to his home feeling accepted for the first time (271).  The grateful tone of Larry proliferates a mood of relief and showcases Larry opening his heart to the world.  I find optimism in the fact that even after a plethora of life altering bad decisions, two adults can admirably ignore human fault and once again find the spark that made them friends in the first place.  Setting the immature fight they had as children aside, Larry and Silas can now let their friendship slowly evolve into something deeply intrapersonal—an inspirational feat that should serve as a precedent for the resolution of all petty squabbles.