Book 16: Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke

Donn Pearce

Scribners 1965

 

If you haven't seen the film, of you don't know what you're missing.  Not only is it a classic piece of Americana, it's a damn moving piece of fiction.

Donn Pearce seems to be a damn interesting character.  I'd like to visit with the guy.  His life may not be one that he would encourage others to emulate, but there are cube drones lined up around the block who, if given a chance to hit reset, absolve themselves of any responsibilities and run away from home when they were fifteen... they'd do it.

I know I would.

And I rather like my life.

So, Cool-Hand. This is kind of a triple-play on my part. This is the first in this 100 book series that I have read before.  It's also for a class. If you had never heard of the film, this would still be an outstanding novel. According to the copy of the book I have, Donn Pearce wrote the original screenplay.  Whether that's true or not, his concept of the Luke character evolved significantly between the time he finished the novel and the time he finished the screenplay.

The publishing year, 1965, puts us smack in the middle of LBJ's expansion of the war in 'Nam.  One could, if they were so inclined, argue that this novel is a critique of the war and a nod to the popular counterculture at the time.

I don't think that this was the case.

While that case could be made (and quite convincingly), I'm inclined to think that Pearce was inspired to write this while he himself was on a chain gang. All stories must be told.  Some of them take some time to develop. And some of them just need to be picked up and set to type. 

Cool Hand Luke  is entertaining, it's moving, and it reads incredibly fast. 

Is Luke a hero or an anti-hero? That's tough to say.

The film paints him to be much more of a hero than the novel does. Only a puritain would say that the Luke of the film deserves what happened to him. They lack the backstory and character development present in the novel.

And it's not like the filmmakers couldn't have included the necessary bits and pieces that create the Luke of the novel. They just chose not to. The tone, as well as the texture of this character are both very different. 

I would recommend that if someone is completely ignorant of the Cool Hand Luke experience, that they actually watch the film first. I don't think it will enhance their appreciation for the novel, but I do think it will help them see how what is more or less the same story can be told so differently.

 Maybe this is why I've been wanting to learn banjo lately...

Anyway, it's a great book. It's worth your Sunday afternoon.