Respect Yourself
"Though all society is founded on intolerance, all improvement
is founded on tolerance."
— George Bernard Shaw, Saint Joan
Mark Read is at it again. A
convicted criminal, affectionately known as "Chopper" following an
incident in which he had his ears cut off in order to be removed from
a particular prison environment, Read has done just about everything
possible to shock the Australian public. He's been a wanted stand-over
man, supposedly having killed (or at least maimed) several underground
associates, presented himself on television discussing the wonders of
popping people's toes off, and become an astoundingly successful
author of 10 best-selling books about his life. So, how does a man
such as this upset the national consciousness following such a career?
How does he get attention again?
Why, he writes a
children's book, of course. And not just any children's book, a 16th
century fable in which its hero stabs a man in the head 21 times.
Perfect.
But, let's be honest, while Hooky the Cripple may
very well be marketed in the form of a kid?s book, what with its
relatively tiny dimensions, large print and simple message of
tolerance, it's really a book for adults who will understand the
humour in the disposition of its protagonist. Therefore, it's a book
adults may pick up for the novelty value of it being "Chopper's
latest", yet its kiddie-book disguise isn't enough to shroud the
message held within it -- a message perhaps adults need to learn more
than anyone else.
Poor Hooky is the son of a beautiful prostitute,
named Madonna, in 16th century Sicily. Madonna is despised in the
small community for her exquisite looks, which cause even the local
priests eyes to wander her way. Because of this, she is banished from
the church, doomed to spend much of her early days pleasuring the
town's men-folk. She soon falls pregnant to any one (if not all) of
these men and gives birth to Hooky.
The kid's life is tainted from
its very beginnings. Add to this an horrendous hunchback and a funny
walk, as well as a reputation for being the ugliest young man for
miles, and it's obvious he won't be winning any popularity contests.
His main adversary is Manuello the Butcher, who beats Hooky on a
regular basis each time the young man passes his shop. One day, after
years of such persecution, Hooky is pushed too far -- he pulls out a
large knife and kills his tormentor. Taken to court,
Inquisition-style, he is defended by the greatest lawyer in all the
land, Giovanno from Milano and, thanks to the effectiveness Giovanno's
controversial courtroom techniques, is acquitted.
And so we learn,
that we all, indeed, have limits. While Hooky is pushed to the point
that he takes his anger out brutally, surely, we as adults are able to
realise that like any great fairytale, Grimm or otherwise, the message
is a lot deeper, using upfront, obvious and often gruesome imagery
(thanks to Adam Cullen's deliriously grotesque illustrations) to make
what is a much more subtle point. Gruesome or not, Chopper's simple
message rests in the fact that we shouldn't discriminate against
people, even if they are they freakish son of the town whore.
Similar also to the great fairy tales of yore, is Chopper's ability
not to rely on the saccharine to endear his characters to the reader.
The story is never drowned in an overdose of it's ideals, or clouded
due to the author's own take on who his characters are. Chopper lays
down the facts only, allowing (well, hoping) the reader will then draw
his own conclusions as to the barbarity of Hooky's actions towards
Manuello the Butcher, and whether or not he deserved to have his
brains leak out on the sidewalk. It's as simple as that.
Chopper's
lack of sugary sympathy mixed with Hooky's pathetic-ness, effectively
endear the reader to his plight. He is never described as someone to
be pitied, or someone who deserves anything more than the right to
walk down the street without getting the shit beat out of him. Chopper
even goes so far, at times, as to describe Hooky in all his horrid
glory, consistently referring to him as Madonna's "hunchback bastard
cripple son". He often reiterates, also, how ugly Hooky is, and how
bizarre he looks compared to his fellow Sicilians.
This
no-holds-barred, upfront attitude as well as Chopper's egotism and
sarcastic wit, juxtaposed with his over-simplified world view succeed
in making Hooky a charming tale reminiscent of the old-time
fairy-stories-with-a-moral we were told as kids, like The Town
Mouse and The Country Mouse or The Tortoise and the Hare.
It's less a literary tale, and more a retelling of a story Chopper may
very well have heard when he was a kid warning him
against discrimination.
Chopper, like Hooky, has never asked for
any kind of sympathy, forever presenting himself (a criminal, and,
dare I remind you, a cripple) as just like anyone else. Sure he has
his shocking moments, but he's really just a good bloke in a bad
situation, doing what has to be done when it has to be done, whether
or not that means popping someone's toes off.
— 14 August 2002
