An Analysis Of Lewis Nordan's Wolf Whistle

Authors who write creatively find themselves giving purpose for each word they place onto the page. Just as there is a purpose for each word, there is a purpose for each character, each plot twist, and each challenge faced. Lewis Nordan, author of the controversial novel, Wolf Whistle, creates a story about a story. His book is based on the well known murder of Emmett Till, along with the trial, but is not limited to the two events alone. Nordan bases the majority of the novel around the long list of major and minor characters. His purpose for centering the plot around more than just those involved in the murder and trial is to show how racism and violence create the atmosphere of the town. He also shows how those living in the Arrow Catcher

Glenn, a young boy living with an abusive father that had created a situation so bad, Glenn decided to take it upon himself to do something to change it. He was the first to take action to try and change a problem, he didn’t just talk about it like Smokey Viner. Glenn’s problem was his father and his solution was to set him on fire to try and murder him, but unfortunately Glenn ended up catching fire. Glenn Gregg is a part of the first few chapters of the novel and his situation shows the reader how things in the town were far from ordinary, and that such a shocking scenario had little impact on the others living in Arrow Catcher. Even Glenn Gregg’s mother talked about the incident as if it was just a normal day, “Glenn poured gasoline, Glenn poured gasoline, right on his daddy’s bed; he was trying to burn up his daddy, when he burned up hisself instead” (page 17). His actions did not go unrecognized because the whole fourth grade class was taken on a field trip to visit him after the incident and the majority of the town knew as well. The act of trying to burn somebody to death is something that is not taken heavily as most violent acts revolving around murder should be taken by the characters and the town as a whole. This leads the reader to believe that violence is something that is common within the town. Having violence present and seen as something normal for Arrow Catcher does not help to provide any hope for the murder trial of