Michael Crichton's The Great Train Robbery

Criminology is the study of why individuals commit crimes. Several sociologists and criminologists have developed theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior and why it occurs. In earlier times, theories such as biological determinism and phrenology were often used to explain criminal behavior. Those theories have since been proven to be unreasonable and unrealistic. As time passed, sociologists and criminologists created more plausible theories including the rational choice, classical, conflict, labeling, life course, critical, strain, social disorganization, routine activity, social control, and positivist theories. In attempts to better understand these criminological theories, an individual could apply one (or more) of these theories to real-life events or things he/she has seen on television. I have chosen to apply the rational choice theory to the popular movie Taken starring Liam Neeson and explain the many examples found throughout the movie.

Crime is an unfortunate part of many people’s lives - both for the victim of the crime and also the suspect. There are many theories as to why crimes happen, who commits the crimes, and why crimes happen to certain people. Not all crimes can be solved, or questions answered but these theories give a peek into the thinking or background behind some crimes that are committed.

(1) Toni Morrison’s Beloved takes place after the Civil War during the Reconstruction era, when the violent oppression of the black race continued, with flashbacks to the horrific trauma of the early 19th century slavery period. In Margaret Atwood’s review of Beloved in

Taught only to acknowledge what he is told to, the conforming individual will not realize his surroundings until somebody deliberately makes him. The rich control the poor and the intelligent control the ignorant. Edward Pierce’s heist was in response to the rampant manipulation of society by those in power. Throughout The Great Train Robbery, Pierce realizes that the power of perception is vast. Used to test how far this power could take him into a manipulator’s mind, the robbery was Pierce’s challenge to the societal ladder.

In Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery, gentleman burglar Edward Pierce organizes a gold heist. He has the opportunity and means to commit the crime, but his motive is never explicitly revealed. Crichton indicates that Pierce’s motive sprouts not from greed nor necessity. Instead, Pierce commits the crime because he is obsessed with manipulating other people.

Society today is captivated with the very nature of crime as evidenced in everything from newspapers, radio, crime shows to movies and more, we have embraced the concept that the crime sells. With crime shows depicting investigators solving cases with little or no clues or within some unrealistic time span, society has come to believe that this should be the norm.

Despite many Western countries having strong law systems and firm roots in Christianity, it might seem peculiar to think they also are obsessed with murder. From Nancy Drew to the TV shows Murder, She Wrote and How to Get Away With Murder, murder and crime investigation have become bestsellers in Western societies. There is just something intriguing about a good “whodunnit” crime, a good mystery that cannot be solved or explained, regardless of how many people and years have been spent speculating on it. In England, one of the most popular unexplained homicide cases is none other than the infamous 1888 murders of Jack the Ripper. While the killer was never found and convicted of the murders, several conspiracy theories have emerged over the years concerning Jack the Ripper’s identity and the motive behind the gruesome slayings.

Sensationalized Murder was a widely accepted form of entertainment. Both broadsides and well-respected newspapers, like the times, reported habitually about murder. Still, why would a society based on the principle of strict morality find this drivel interesting? Flanders theory is “that it reinforces a sense of safety, even pleasure that murder can happen, but just not here.” The truth goes much further than Flanders’s theory. Fisher in his book Killer Among Us explores the modern fascination with crime, and how it stems from a primal instinct of fear and the pleasure it brings. Both Fisher and Flanders assumptions supports the theory that Victorians sensationalized murder, a constant verbal in the human existence, as a way to cope or remain

What makes a person tick? Why does he do the things that he does? These questions, commonly asked about criminals, are relevant when evaluating Edward Pierce’s motives behind “Great Train Robbery.” Throughout The Great Train Robbery, Pierce refused to give up his plan for an “impossible” robbery, due to his incessant need to do something that it was deemed impossible.

Throughout modern criminal history, there have been many horrific cases that have changed ideologies and theories as to why crime occurs. I am fascinated with the reason as to why this occurs. There are many unanswered questions as to why crime has become a dominant fixture within the premise of our culture. The need to uncover this mystery confirmed to me just how much I wanted to study Criminology at university.

For centuries, murder cases have captivated the lives of individuals. From news station broadcastings to the media creating films and documentaries, homicide cases have gained the interest and popularity of many. This begs the question as to what lies in the fascination of murder? The basis of this can be found in the psychological state of individuals including the experience of thrill, curiosity, the need for answers, and fear.

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the meaning and validity of the label criminology has as a ‘rendezvous discipline’. To do this, this essay illuminates where criminology originates from and what its primary focus is. The Chicago School, Lombrosian Theory, Positivist and Classical criminology, are discussed. Other disciplines namely Sociology, Psychology, and the Criminal Justice Sector are examined and applied to the broad subject of criminology, to show the network of how this subject came to be recognised as such a discipline. Exposed are main issues that occur for the likes of criminologists and other

At first, the Ripper murders were a source of fascination to the public of Whitechapel and even more so in the rest of London. In her book The Invention of Murder, Judith Flanders found crime and murder can be a form of entertainment for people. She says, “Crime, especially murder, is very pleasant to think about in the abstract…It reinforces a sense of safety, even of pleasure, to know that murder is possible, just not here.” Those who were at a distance from the crimes lapped up the news reports like serials of fiction; their pleasure greater because the horrible stories were real. In Whitechapel, citizens visited the sites of the murders out of curiosity. The crime scenes became exhibits, and sometimes they returned to and retraced the path of blood the Ripper spilt. At first, it was a game to the public—a form of entertainment. Some members of the public attended victims’ funerals or traveled in groups seeking out the Ripper. Later, these groups became mobs on the hunt for the killer the police were unable to catch.

Viktor Frankl argues that “man must decide, for better or for worse, what will be the monument of his existence.” Individuals agonize over how they will introduce themselves and make a mark of their existence. In Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery, Edward Pierce organizes the crime not for the money but for the renown.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam advised to his people that “small aim is a crime; have a great aim,” yet in Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery, character Edward Pierce’s greatest aim ironically became known in London as “the crime of the century.” Pierce’s intricate and advanced planning in his train robbery helped him gain a notorious reputation in England. With underlying implications throughout his novel, Michael Crichton insinuates that the true motive of Pierce is the desire for notoriety throughout England and not the acquisition of wealth collected from his robbery.