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The Getaway
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Plot Summary of The Getaway
"THE GETAWAY is a novel published in 1957.

Doc MacCoy and his wife Carol have just committed an armed robbery in a bank of a little Texas town. Doc has also shot Rudy, his paranoid partner, and left him for dead. Now they just have to cross the country in order to join California and then Mexico. But the police is still after the couple since they must kill again and again all those who cross their path. And Rudy, miraculously saved by a bucket, is behind them too.

Noir at its noirest."

Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Getaway
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%




Tone of story - Dry-cynical
Time/era of story: - 1930's-1950's
The crook is.... - criminals killing each other - on the run from the law - committing armed robbery
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - armed robbery!

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - accused criminal
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - a significant amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - criminal
Eccentric: Yes - mentally ill
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Texas - Midwest - West - California
City? Yes
City: - Los Angeles - dangerous
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - dumb rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
Misc setting - moving train

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets - perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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