1.theatrics– “we were on the spot at the hour agreed upon, and disguised ourselves for the adventure. hyde and wilson were dressed in white frocks and boots, with their faces painted yellow to resemble Molattoes. Mountain was dressed in the same manner, with the addition of a large tail wig, white gloves and a black mask over his face. This creates a setting. we have discussed several times how this era of narratives produced a sort of theatrical setting-a form of entertainment for its readers. this narrative captures this idea at tis heart. mountain’s acquaintance with a traveling guild set the stage for his crime which eventually became, through this text, a readable form of entertainment for many.
2. villain– Mountain appears to be a villain of a modern day crime film; the ultimate robber as dramatized by an actor. in the darkness of the night, one unlucky bypasser hears, ” you know my profession, deliver or death.” this becomes these thieves’ catchphrase. not only this, but the fact that they have a broker portrays a shift in power as well as adding one more character to the drama. at the time of the robbery, the villian, or mountain, has the most power, controlling whomever is unfortunate to be robbed. however, this power is then shifted to the broker who ultimately determines the value of the villains’ work. “he then threw me his purse, which containex about 10 guineas, and a sliver watch, which was valued by our broker at 6.1.” this whole scene seems to common to a modern American, very entertaining, movie, although it took place in 1790.
3. gentlemen-Mountain’s narrative captures the essence of the high-class glamorous criminal- something very different from the narratives we began reading but more similar to crimes we hear about very often today. through his robbing other “virtuous” gentlemen, Mountain produced a life of luxury for himself. “we now concluded to remain in london for a while, as gentlemen of pleasure. the repeated robberies had furnished us with cash in abundance…we went from york to newmarket to attend the famous races which took place about the first of June…”