Martha’s final confrontation with North has lasting consequences for both of them. Do you think justice was done? What about as regards Rebecca’s assault and Burgess’s killing? Would you have made the same choice as Martha?
Justice was done with what Martha did to North. She was defending herself as he wanted to hurt probably kill her and in what she did to him some justice was done for Rebecca and all the women that North might have assaulted. I wish that North would have been found guilty of raping Rebecca and would have seen prison time. Personally I am glad the two men were never accused of beating and hanging Burgess. He was also a horrible man.
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I don’t know that justice can ever be done in cases of such violence. I know I wanted the men responsible for Rebecca’s assault to be held accountable to the greatest extent of the law, but I honestly don’t know that anything will assuage any of the pain, certainly not the memories. North’s accidental mutilation was welcomed, but it still felt lacking to me.
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North was the worst of the worst throughout his life. He escaped consequences because he was powerful. Mutilation might have humbled him for a wee bit (pun intended), but I don’t think his personality and scheming ways will change much.
Can there be justice for some things, really? There can be punishments but there cannot be a sense of making things right. I do like the author’s idea of a sort of ‘eye for an eye’. But it doesn’t make any difference to the child who is born without a loving mother or father. And like mentioned by NanK, North is still out there and perhaps angrier so more likely to wreak havoc in other ways on people, although he did seem to have learned his lesson. I think ‘out of sight out of mind’ might help in matters like these so accomplishing that one way or another might have brought more closure.
If he wasn’t going to be prosecuted for all of his crimes, I’m glad Martha’s knife made sure he suffered something anyway. `
Justice was partially was done to North by Martha as she defended herself with a knife but still North will never lose the power he has in the community but perhaps we can hope for slightly less respect.
I was both horrified and delighted by the outcome. He totally deserved all he got, the creep. I do wonder if he ultimately would have lived through the ordeal, though. In the days before antibiotics - not to mention basic hygiene - I suspect he would have died a painful, lingering death.
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I agree justice was done to a degree, North was an evil man.