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1. Anson’s Personality Development
Every parent always tries to give the best for their children. However, sometimes what the parents give is not the same with the children need. Every
child has different character. Therefore, the parents cannot apply the same method in rearing child. The parents should not force his idealism to their children.
Anson’s father has obsession to create proper method in rearing child. Anson’s personality gradually changes as the effect of his parents’ abuse in his childhood.
The rationality, which is planted to him when Anson was child, gives bad effect in his adulthood. Anson’s parents have never taught him about moral value in life.
Rationality is always in a man’s self-interest, Daniel says. Therefore, any act that is rational is right and good and admirable.
Evil does not exist in Daniel’s philosophy. Stealing, rape, murder of the innocent these and other crimes are merely irrational because they put he
who commits them in jeopardy of his freedom 190.
When the physical and psychological abuse happen to him, his personality is getting worse as follows:
a. Evil
Anson is known as good brother to his siblings and becomes favorite son in his family through his childhood. However, Daniel’s idealism about rationality
makes him do bad behavior. When he says a lie to cover others lies, he does not have sensibility of regret’s feeling. He becomes a liar. When his brother, Mitch
Rafferty faces the difficulty in getting the ransom for his wife, Anson lies to Mitch. He says that he is willing to give him money and to promise to save both
Mitch and his wife, Holly. “When Mitch looked up from his unsteady hands,
52 Anson said, ‘Nothing will happen to her. I promise you, Mickey. I swear nothing
will happen to Holly. Nothing.’” 137 Anson is smart in hiding his lies. In adulthood, his family is still thinking
that he is a kind and successful person. However, the fact is contrast to what Anson has said, Anson is only lying to his brother. He is smart in convincing
Mitch. In the end, Anson confesses to Mitch that he will not give his brother two million dollars as the ransom. Even he shows that he does not care with Holly.
“Two million. Truth is,” Anson said almost sadly, without bite or rancor, “I wouldn’t pay two million to ransom you, so Holly was dead the moment she was
snatched.” 164 In adulthood, he always pretends as a good brother. He makes everybody
in his family believes that he is kind. Mitch always believes that Anson will help him. Mitch has never known that his brother now is not as kind as when in the
childhood. Mitch knows the truth after Anson confesses to Mitch. “This will almost wipe out my liquidity,” Anson said, “but I’ll still have
the equity in the condo.” “Wipe you out. I can’t let that happened.”
“If I earned it once, I can earn it again.” “Not that much. Not easily.” 144
What Anson says to Mitch is his effort to trap his brother. However, his brother has never realized that Anson brings his heart to hurt him. At the first time
he said that two million would wipe out his liquidity, in fact it would not. He is richer than what Mitch imagines.
… “Two million wouldn’t wipe me out, bro. the truth is… I’ve got closer to eight.”
53 From behind the burly bearish charm, a goatish other watched, and Mitch
sensed, without fully understanding what he meant, that he and his brother, alone in the room, were in fact not alone 167.
Anson also lies about his sacrifice for his siblings. He says that he always helps his sibling, Connie, Megan and Portia. He convinces Mitch that he always
cares and guides his siblings. Anson said that as if he is a meritorious brother. … “I structured a loan so a portion converts into a tax free gift each year. I
don’t want to be repaid. It’s fun to do this. And Megan’s dog-grooming business.” Mitch said, “The restaurant Portia and Frank are opening.”
“That, too.” 147
Anson deceives his brother so that Mitch follows him to enter his trap. He has never given his siblings Portia, Connie and Megan money to start their
business. Now, Anson is not the brother who can be relied on anymore. … as if his tongue was so accustomed to the soft tones of deceit that it
could not sharpen itself to the occasion. “Just so you won’t feel that you mean less to me than Megan, Connie, and Portia, I should clarify
something. I didn’t give them money to start businesses. That was bullshit, bro. I handled you.” 166
Anson is not only a liar but he is also related to criminality. The people who kidnap Holly, are his partners when they were working together. The cause
of Holly’s kidnap case is Anson’s deceit. When they work together, Anson takes bigger money than the others do. That makes them angry to Anson. Therefore,
they try to attack him by using Holly. They know that it is very difficult to attack him directly, because Anson has main role for some important people in an illegal
business. They know that these people will protect Anson. “The people who kidnapped Holly are the team I put together for one of
those jobs. They made a bundle from it, but they found out my take was bigger than I told them, and now they’re greedy.” So Holly had been
54 kidnapped not solely because Anson had enough money to ransom her, but
also because-primarily because- Anson had cheated her abductors 165.
b. Arrogant
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