Chp. 11 and 12 Reaction

           It is refreshing to see Sal finally step out and travel somewhere without following Dean and his pack of ‘friends’. That being said however, Sal still manages to go and reunite with his old friend Remi. At first, it seemed to me that Remi was just another Dean that Sal heads towards to find impulsive excitement. While this ends up being true, I found it intriguing how Remi is one of the few that Sal had known before circumstances caused him to change into the man he is now. In fact, they have gone back so far that Sal’s ex-wife had been Remi’s girl first! This history together makes it interesting to observe an interaction in which someone actually has true affection for Sal; unlike Dean, Remi is genuinely happy that Sal has come to join him. A sharper version of Dean, Remi also struck me as less coarse, and more responsible and caring; he brings half the stolen groceries to give to a widow who needs it more, and even acts as if she shouldn’t worry about him because he is well-off. It also seems to me that Remi wants to better his condition while Dean just lives for the moment; while he does have a gambling issue that constantly takes him in a cycle of saving up then wasting, Remi understands the value of dignity and attempts to embody elegance on weekends because he truly does want to get there someday. 

           I was also surprised that Sal ends up spending quite some time with Remi and Lee Ann –over ten weeks in their home. The fact that he also gets a job seemed to signal a settling down aspect in his behavior. I thought his descriptions as a policeman were highly amusing; it was incredibly ironic when he and Remi, both policemen, end up stealing themselves and justify it by referring to a president’s quote. In addition, the chapter also demonstrates Sal’s ever-increasing impulsiveness; his first shift alone as policeman had him drinking with the patrons he was supposed to arrest. In addition, he starts getting used to the idea of pulling out a gun. 

           But just like always, Sal gets restless and eventually packs up to leave. However, while he once did this to chase after Dean, I now feel that he leaves because it has become a permanent part of his personality now. He is genuinely restless and just looking to travel and be on the road again.