Elmore Leonard's Story Of John Russell
The crime and suspense novelist Elmore Leonard began as a writer of westerns. The Library of America has recently published a volume of four Leonard western novels and eight short stories. I enjoy both westerns and Leonard and have been working through the volume.
"Hombre" is probably Leonard's best-known novel and is a fitting work for inclusion in the LOA. First published in 1961 as a paperback original, "Hombre" became a 1967 film starring Paul Newman. The novel tells the story of John Russell, 21, who through most of the book is known simply as "Hombre". The book is unique among Leonard's output in that it is recounted by a first person narrator, a technique which adds a great deal to the story. The narrator, Carl Everett Allen, also 21, is something of a naive, callow young man. He recounts the origins of his story in a brief preface to the reader which explains how he came to write the book and that Russell's nickname of "hombre" or "man" best describes his character. Early in his story and at its conclusion, Allen recounts how his boss, Henry Mendez, had told him to "Take a good look at Russell. You will never see another like him as long as you live." The story vindicates Mendez' assessment.
The book is set in 1884 in the Arizona territory. Russell is a white person who spent much time in his youth with the Apache. When Russell becomes a passenger with five other people on a chartered stagecoach, the other individuals don't want him to ride in the coach because they believe he is Apache. When the stagecoach is held up, the passengers need Russell's help and familiarity with weaponry and terrain in order to survive.
The book develops many different characters including Mendez, the driver, and the passengers, Brandon, Dr. Favor, the corrupt superintendent of an Indian reservation, his young wife, a 17 year old, "McClaren girl" who also has been held by the Apache and is returning home, and the narrator,
Carl Allen, who is seeking a new job and success. The story explores the characters' varied reactions to the precarious situation in which they find themselves in the Arizona desert pursued by outlaws.
The main interest in the book lies in Hombre. He is taciturn and stays within himself. At the outset of the book, he is disinclined to become involved in the business of others. As the story progresses with increased threats from the outlaws and dissension among the band on the stagecoach, Hombre makes decisions which often seem harsh and morally questionable. The book explores different perspectives, at several points, on the moral necessity of helping other people in dire straits. Hombre's perspective on these situations is frequently juxtaposed with that of the tender-hearted "McClaren girl".
The book has excellent descriptive passages of the stark Arizona desert, a great deal of violence, and a growth of dramatic tension as the story works to a climax. It reads quickly and held my interest throughout. But the primary value of the book lies in its depiction of character, its portrayal of racial prejudice and in its consideration of the many ethical dilemmas that arise in the course of the story. John Russell emerges as an enigmatic but heroic figure. "Hombre" is far more than a genre western.
Robin Friedman
