...except the hitman is killing as part of his occupation; it's his job.
He's getting paid, yes, but that's payment for professional services
rendered. THE AX's protagonist is doing this to protect his personal
security...it has intimate meaning to him. He is not doing it because it's
part of his job description (as it is / can be for a thief (Parker) or spy),
nor is he getting paid for the specific acts themselves, as a hitman does.
Like a hitman (or thief), the end result of the AX's protagonist's actions
may indeed be financial enrichment, but the contextual impetus for his
killing has no direct relation to this potential reward. He's fighting to
protect what he feels is rightfully his -- a job, stature, a lifestyle,
financial security, etc -- and acting in a way that is perversely
logical....this is quite different than killing because it's part of the
job.
Ron
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of davezeltserman
> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 7:39 PM
> To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
>
> In the Ax the murders are as financially motivated as a hitman's would be.
They're
> done purely for the end result of being financially rewarded (ending up
with a job).
> No difference.
>
>
> --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Ron Clinton" <clinton65@...> wrote:
> >
> > To me, the difference is relatively clear. If the fictious perpetrator
does
> > the killing in the performance of his professional duties -- thief,
hitman,
> > spy, et al -- then I do not consider it a serial killer novel. If
instead
> > the perpetrator does his/her killing for reasons that are instead more
> > personal and intimate -- psychotic/sociopathic deviancy (Thomas Harris'
> > books, Joyce Carol Oates' ZOMBIE, etc.), methodical elimination of
> > obstructionist rivals (THE AX), self-righteous delusions (BLACKBURN),
and so
> > on -- then it is a serial killer novel. Obviously, this is a subjective
> > differentiation on my part, but that seems like an appropriate
distinction.
> > Since Westlake's protagonist was committing his acts for intimate,
personal
> > gain and not because the acts were part and parcel of his occupation, in
my
> > mind that makes THE AX a serial killer novel.
> >
> > Ron C.
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "davezeltserman"
<Dave.Zeltserman@>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > How about a Parker novel, like The Hunter, where Parker has to kill
a
> > bunch of
> > > > people to get what he wants? Or really any hit man novel? I think of
a
> > serial killer
> > > >novel as something where the killer is killing some other purpose
than to
> > do a job,
> > > >and really the protagonist in The Axe is killing for the same sort of
> > purpose as a hit
> > > >man, except in the Ax the killer has more remorse than they typical
hit
> > man,,
> > > >especially since he finds himself liking the people he needs to kill.
> > > >
> >
> >
> > > From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com]
On
> > > Behalf Of jacquesdebierue
> > > Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 6:55 PM
> > > To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> > > Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
> > >
> > >
> > > Good point. I wonder how many people Parker kills in the entire
series. It
> > has got to
> > > be a very high number. Somehow the presentation of Parker as a
> > professional
> > > doing a job makes him look more like some type of soldier than a
> > psychopath.
> >
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
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