Essay Questions

What is the main satire in the book ‘The Street Lawyer’ by Grisham?

The book is entirely about the break-in of an influential law office in Washington. Michael Brock is a prominent lawyer, and he is assigned the duty of finding out the intentions of the break-in and track down the people responsible for the crime. Paradoxically, the individual who broke into the law office is a destitute man. The reader finds this satirical because the author describes the law office as the most powerful and influential in Washington, and yet it is broken into by a homeless man. The reader expects the most powerful office to have the utmost security. Consequently, the facts about the break-in are entirely satirical because an ordinary man is not expected to have the power of breaking into an important law office in Washington.

Why is Brock resigning from his law profession to pursue another career?

Brock is not happy with the law profession because, most of the time, it lacks morals. According to Brock, the law professional relies on lies, and sometimes facts are hidden to win a particular case. For instance, a lawyer can decide to defend a murderer and come up with facts proving that the accused person is innocent. Therefore, Brock realizes that the law profession is driving him to engage in practices against his moral standing. Consequently, Brock decides to work in the healthcare sector to help needy families.

What is the symbolic meaning of 'The Street lawyer'?

The novel exposes the dark side of America's law profession because it explains how lawyers generate income through unethical practices. Lawyers' primary aim is to win court cases using all means to make huge profits. It saddens readers to realize that lawyers can base their facts on false evidence to win a case. In this novel, the homeless man is branded as a street lawyer, yet he knows nothing about the law. Therefore, there is a motif regarding lawyers, which explains that most layers are unethical, and they have no difference from a street layer.