Sparring Partners

The influence of wealth and privilege in the legal system is evident in each of the three novellas collected in Sparring Partners. Across the collection, Grisham indicates that this corrupting pressure is pervasive, but not impenetrable. In “Homecoming,” Mack’s confidence that he can buy his way out of jail indicates that those who can afford both legal counsel and financial restitution are often essentially above the law. At the end of the novella, once Mack realizes that federal investigators are aware of his crimes and have secured an indictment, he decides to “disappear for a while and let things cool down” (121). Although Mack is guilty, he is confident that his “lawyers will handle everything, and with time, they’ll work out a deal” (122). Grisham is explicit that this deal will involve financial restitution, but not prison time. As an (illegally) wealthy lawyer, Mack can afford to fight his charges with expensive attorneys and to avoid incarceration by paying fines. The novella suggests that Mack’s wealth and privilege protect him from the consequences of his crimes, unlike the blue-collar criminals the novella’s prosecutors would never indulge in this way.

Cody, the protagonist of “Strawberry Moon,” provides a stark contrast to Mack: A once-unhoused orphan incarcerated on death row, Cody has no wealth or privilege, and the novella makes it clear that his legal standing suffered as a result.