The Good Samaritan

Study guide med hjælp til analyse af novellen “The Good Samaritan” (2006) af Charles Ardai. Novellen hører til krimi-genren og kan læses i tekstbogen Crime in Fiction (s. 85). I study guiden finder du også et summary samt inspiration til tema og perspektivering.

Charles Ardai (f. 1969) er en amerikansk jøde, hvis forældre overlevede Holocaust. Han er både kendt som forfatter, redaktør, tv-producer og iværksætter. Som forfatter specialiserer han sig i krimiromaner og noveller, som har indbragt ham flere litterære priser.

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Symbols

The symbol of the Good Samaritan is probably the most powerful one in the story. The story of the Good Samaritan is found in the Bible. In the story, a Jewish traveler is beaten and left almost dead on a road. The man is ignored by two people who pass by that road, but a Samaritan stops and helps him, although Samaritans and Jews did not like each other. Today, the phrase Good Samaritan is often used to refer to a person who offers help to a stranger, often expecting nothing in return.

In the story, Arthur thinks of himself as the Good Samaritan, who saves homeless people and puts them out of their misery (p. 97, l. 14). The detective also takes on this role when he kills Arthur, thus making sure that the man will not kill any more people. The end of the story also mentions the Good Samaritan (p. 98, l. 35) when the news talks about a man probably willing to help Arthur by giving him a blanket. Both in Arthur’s case and in the detective’s case, the symbol of the Good Samaritan is used ironically, as their acts are ultimately evil, despite their good intentions.