Passion- Two very different stories are juxtaposed- that of John Sullivan and that of Alexander White. White’s story is one of the first crime narratives we’ve read that describes a crime of passion. He kills because he wants to win the favor of a wealthy woman. Sullivan’s narrative is almost entirely devoid of passion. He lists his crimes. He describes his more serious crimes in the same matter-of-fact tone he describes his petty crimes. He only devotes a few words to the beating at the end of his narrative, and his warning to others is almost like an obligatory afterthought.

Authenticity-  White’s narrative seems to follow the style of older narratives, using words like “heinous” to describe his actions, but certain aspects of his narrative seem more authentic than others. He seems more concerned about the effect that he’s had on his family, for example, than his offending God. One thought that seems show authentic remorse is his wish in his letter that “no reflections may be cast on the innocent child hereafter for the untimely death of his unhappy father. His love for his family separates his narrative from past narratives which express mainly a (possibly forced) love for God.

Personalization– In these narratives, it is common for the condemned to read Bible passages and think that God is speaking directly to them.  These passages usually have something to do with redemption.  Ames says of one passage “[I] could not help looking on this as God’s gracious promise to me, and I tho’t that as I knew God could not lie, if I would not believe this, I would believe nothing.”

Blame– A lot of the texts vilify minorities and women, but Ames blatantly blames women for his stealing (although the two are completely unrelated).  He warns youth against “bad women” who he says “have undone many, and by whom I have suffered much, the unlawful intercourse with them I have found by sad experience, leading to almost every sin.”  He makes it sound as though he were tricked into intercourse by these women.

list – throughout the entire register there is a recollection of the crimes that each individual has committed. These lists appear to be given as a way to boost up notoriety and fame.

love of money – putting the value of money over the value of anything else that may matter to a person. For example the convict who is a pirate is guilty of murdering a man due to his love of money. In effect the pirate’s desire to marry his girlfriend was overrun by the love of money and in a fit of rage he murdered a man, because he felt that he could not control his mischeivous nature.

disobedience – Ames details the beginnings of his criminality by discussing his family life where he claims that his mother did as best she could to counsel him and encourage him to steer away from his path of disregard for her advice. He claims that he made her to believe that he would straighten up but he quickly fled from her watch in order to continue his acts of disobedience to any and everyone. “…I am now made to feel the anger of God against me, for my disobedience to my parent. ”

habitual – Ames resembles the majority of the criminal minds we learned about because of the fact that his temptations toward lustful desires seems to win out against all else. This leads to a life fraught with repitious acts of illwill towards others, utterly disregarding all sense of living with a moral code of conduct. Even while being fully aware of their actions these criminals often times seem incapable of quelling their urges to sin. Becoming trapped in the only type of lifestyle to which they are accustomed.

Conscience- Levi Ames is troubled by his conscience, but it is still one dictated by religion—his main fear is that he will go to hell.  He tries to ease his fears first by drinking and then by reading the Bible, but neither work too effectively: “O! a wounded conscience who can bear?” (182). 

Warning- Levi Ames has all kinds of warnings before he dies—some about how to keep from becoming a criminal (the typical), but also warnings for ordinary people about how to keep from being robbed: what sort of locks to have, where to keep luggage, and how to watch over your children. 

Conscience- Buchanan says that at the ti me of the killing “I was instantly struck with the horror of conscience”, one of the earliest mentions we’ve seen of the conscience in these narratives (223). Interestingly, this mention of conscience has nothing to do with God and is also for a man who the murderers do not even know.

Warning- Buchanan, Ross, and Brooks conclude their account with the usual warning to youths of how to avoid becoming an executed criminal. They should “avoid bad company, excessive drinking, profane cursing and swearing, shameful debaucheries, disobedience to parents” (224). The three criminals, despite the fact that their narrative is very different from the ones that we have read up to this point, still conclude with the typical repentance, religious talk, and warning to the youth that we have come to expect.

2. flames– “i was in eminent danger of being consumed by the flames.” in this sense, frasier is speaking of the literal flames which he was responsible for creating while in prison. however, in a more spiritual sense, avoiding the horrifying idea of hell and its flaming wrath, is the main argument used by the ministers who admonish criminals like frasier, hoping to deter them from their wicked ways and persuade them of a godly path.

3. notorious– this term re-emphasizes the role of the public in the sense of crime. criminals like Frasier were known publically, scorned publically, and eventually killed publically. this article, however, broadens the role of the public from just an audience at an execution. the term notorious indicates that the public was not only aware of the criminal’s execution, they were aware of his life before he was sentenced to death due to his repution as a person.

Stealing- Frasier is obviously a thief, and a prolific one at that: almost his entire narrative is a list of things he stole (cheese, fabric, shoes, money). Interestingly, many of his robberies are settled outside of the justice system—he settles the score with the people from whom he stole, presumably by returning what wasn’t his. He tells us how on one occasion he stole a piece of linen and threw it away simply for revenge.

Conscience- Frasier mention his conscience towards the end of his narrative, once he has already escaped from the prison in which he awaits execution. After taking one pair of shoes and a few pieces of clothing he suddenly, inexplicably, “found what I had never experienced in all my scene of villainy before, which was the working of a guilty conscience” (157). It proves to be a rather ineffective sense of guilt, as Frasier says that he ignores it and then continues to steal his way through New England.