Character in the book – Description

Character in the book – Description

A character I feel sympathy for in the book „Crime never pays“ is Loren Amory, one of the main characters in the short story „Sauce for the goose by Patricia Highsmith.

The reason I feel sympathy for him is that he is an extremely kind hearted person and he doesn´t deserve what happens to him. When his wife Olivia falls in love with the unknown actor Stephen Castle and asks for a divorce, Loren suggests she and Stephen have a three-month separation. He does not suggest this for selfish reasons but because he doesn´t think Stephen will make her happy. He wants her to be absolutely sure before she takes a decision.

During the separation, which Olivia agrees to, Loren´s kindness is shown in other ways. A tone point he even tells Olivia to telephone Stephen when she appears to be unable to cope any longer.

In short, Loren Amory´s good nature and trusting character make it easy for Olivia to murder him, and he goes on believing her lies until seconds before his death.