Michael Crichton's The Great Train Robbery

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Proving the Impossible is Possible Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery portrayed an elusive man named Edward Pierce who conjured the impossible idea of robbing the train system of London. In the end, Crichton failed to release a motive for Pierce’s preposterous plan, allowing his readers to visualize one themselves. One may believe that Pierce’s motive was seen in his eagerness to demonstrate to London that nothing is as impossible as it seems. While planning the robbery, Pierce uncovered figures in charge of guarding the system who believed their ways to be fail-safe. Henry Fowler challenged Pierce to “point out any weaknesses” to his plan; little did he know, Pierce was arranging to do just that (Crichton 14). Pierce also knew his plan required the most elite snakesman, Clean Willy, who was housed in Newgate Prison. There was a confidence throughout London that the prison was inescapable, which only pushed Pierce to continue on with his intentions of proving London wrong (Crichton 21). Through his success, he confirmed that their inescapable prison was “overstated” and “mere child’s play” for a villain (Crichton 75). His success only furthered his appetite to convince London that nothing was …show more content…

Agar wished to “make an end to it,” but Pierce had “waited a year” and decided that no matter what, “[the robbery would] be tomorrow” (Crichton 188). He believed that no amount of trouble was “beyond repair,” welcoming the idea of more seemingly impossible challenges to overcome (Crichton 190). The idea of making his tasks more impassable excited Pierce, which Crichton illustrated through Pierce’s smile at the change of events (Crichton 190). The more impossible the task before him seemed to the public, the more satisfaction Pierce would gain after his

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