William N. Simons, Jr.

Throughout Bellows Falls, Joe Gunther reveals his character by responding and reacting to different situations. It is these situations that evince the characteristic of Joe Gunther that I can best relate to. Upon meeting and questioning various characters, Gunther reveals himself to be a thoughtful person who, throughout the story, changes his views on different characters he interacts with. It is the way he analyzes people and makes observations about their personality and physical appearance that I am able to relate to. Each time Gunther meets a new suspect, witness, etc., he spends a rather significant amount of time describing his thoughts on the person and how he or she acts during their conversations. It is during these moments of the story that I see myself in Joe Gunther, and thus, am reminded that Gunther is by no means a superhuman, but rather a regular everyday person. For instance, when first meeting Norm Bouche, Gunther first makes judgements based on his looks. He sees Bouche working on his automotive and imagines the way he could simply be a "good 'ol American boy." This judgement is made after considering the fact that Norm could actually be the one responsible for the crimes. However, Gunther learns more and more about Norm, all the time having a definite opinion of him. It is not the opinions that I am able to see in myself, but rather the way in which Gunther thinks towards making these judgements. When I am meeting new people, or in the process of geting to know them, I am constantly taking note of their mannerisms and actions and comments and making judgements about them. Many people do this, I am sure. I find the mirroring in the way he is thinking in addition to the fact that he is constantly thinking these things about people. I was so familiar with his approach to learning about people, I felt as though Mayor had crawled inside my head and discovered the way I think. It is through his interactions with people that Joe Gunther becomes a character who is very easy to identify with.

http://www.brattleboropolice.com/

This is a link for the Brattleboro Police Department. This is the police department which Joe Gunther works for in Bellows Falls.