Witness

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he plays a key role in going to the rescue after the three corrupt
cops come to the farm to kill Book and the boy and eliminate the only witness to their
crime. But it is really John Book who is the hero of the story. He escapes and then battles
his would-be killers in an unlikely manner, and only leaves Rachel and her family after
they are safe and secure from all harm.
The cultural contrasts portrayed in witness are perhaps the most obvious element
of the story. Book and his world are full of violence, guns corruption, but the Amish
world of Rachel and her family is quiet, gentle and deeply religious. Her son Samuel is
fascinated with this strong, friendly policeman from the big city, but Rachel and her
father are alarmed at the idea of having a gun in their house. This violates everything that
their pacificism represents. John Book is forceful and strong enough to overcome their
objections, and he shows that not only he is a good cop but is also a good man in the
...

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story. The boy Samuel is wide-eyed and innocent,
but his keen sight and good memory provide the key to solving the crime. Book’s world is
the opposite of innocent, but we soon learn that he is incorruptible, hardworking and
clean in his morals. His handgun becomes a major symbol of violence and a force that he
brings from the big city to the quiet Amish world. But he adapts to the new way of life
and learns other ways of dealing with enemies, an example of character evolution. In the
last sequence of the movie Book actually kills his attackers by using the mechanisms of
the grain silo, rather then shooting them with a .38 pistol.
Many other symbols of the interaction ...

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