The Dinner (Main Course)

Welcome back fellow peers. In this part of the novel, we learn of the crimes Michel and Rick have committed and Paul’s subsequent reaction, or lack thereof, to them. Both kids commit acts of assault against homeless individuals, and then film the whole scenario on their phones. There is a dangerous mentality associated with committing a crime, and then choosing to display it. My vast knowledge of criminology from Criminal Minds has taught me that some psychopaths enjoy keeping trophies - some type of memorabilia of the crime they did. Michel choosing to record he and Rick beaut up a man may be a trophy to him. Each time he watches the video he is able to relieve the perverse enjoyment he felt at the time of his crimes. Physical abuse against the homeless is not a new phenomenon, and according to this article, the perpetrators of such acts are usually middle-class teenage boys, a profile that fits Michel.

A social experiment involving some teenagers taunting a homeless person.

Michel’s tendency towards violence can also be attributed to Paul’s, what I believe to be, bad parenting. Paul speaks of an incident that occurred in Michel’s youth. Michel was kicking a soccer ball near a shop, and broke the window. When Paul went in the shop to pay for the damages, the shop owner called Michel a punk and said he shouldn’t have been playing there in the first place. Paul gets very upset, and threatens the shop owner saying, “I’d stay where I am if I were you. The only thing that’s been damaged so far is a window” (Koch 137). This statement is also accompanied by several curse words. In order to teach a child how to behave, one must reprimand them when they do wrong. Paul yelling at the store owner instead of realizing the wrong his child did, will only make young Michel believe his behaviour is acceptable. Through the psycho-analytic lens, we can see that this childhood experience has made Michel feel as though he is invincible, and able to do anything without facing the repercussions of it.

When Paul discovers the videos on Michel’s phone, he is very selective in his parenting, trying his utmost not to upset his son whilst also trying to admonish him (which he fails miserably at). Michel gets upset at his father and says, “Christ! When are you going to start acting normal?”(Koch 159). Paul then responds calmly and just says, “Oh, buddy. Okay, I’m all ears”. Paul’s refraining from establishing his parental authority and wanting to be his son’s friend more so than a father-figure, shows he is trying to protect their relationship very much. In another episode of Criminal Minds, a family stages the homicide of their youngest son because it was actually their eldest son who killed him, and they are trying not to lose him as well. Paul may be trying to keep his and Michel’s relationship positive, choosing to ignore his son being a criminal, because he does not want to lose him as well.

After Paul’s outburst at his work, he is recommended in seeing a psychologist. It is established that Paul has some type of disorder that he is prescribed to take medication for. Paul asks if the condition is hereditary to which the psychologist says, “Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. We always try to take family histories into account” (Koch 186). With Paul’s background (short temper, violent impulses), I predict that the disorder he has is some minute form of psychopathy. I don’t think Paul is a complete psychopath, but I think he exhibits some symptoms of the disorder. This article suggests that psychopathy may have something to do with our genes. As Michel has shown no remorse for the heinous actions he has done, I believe he is a psychopath and has inherited the disorder from his father.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this part of the book. I did not think much of Paul in the first part, but have learned that he may be playing a much larger part in the story than I thought. I am assuming I will be proven wrong again about the importance of some seemingly mundane characters in the last section of the novel (Claire and Babette anyone?). Until next time, have a good one friend!

Works Cited

Fantz, Ashley. “Teen 'Sport Killings' of Homeless on the Rise.” CNN, Cable News Network, 20 Feb. 2007, www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/19/homeless.attacks/.

Lewis, Tanya. “A Single Gene Has Been Linked with Being a Psychopath - and It's Very Controversial.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 29 July 2015, www.businessinsider.com/psychopath-gene-2015-7.

Reblog-Gif. “Dad Fail.” Giphy, media.giphy.com/media/xYkArTGvP7xqo/giphy.gif.

What Would You Do, director. What Would You Do: Teen Boys Verbally, Emotionally Abuse Homeless Person. 23 Sept. 2017.