Capital Punishment in the Work of George Orwell, H.L....

Capital Punishment in the Work of George Orwell, H.L. Mencken, and Norman Mailer Capital punishment in the essays by George Orwell, H.L. Mencken, and Norman Mailer was a necessary evil to deter crime. These authors incorporated the use of alcohol or drugs as mind-altering chemicals to relieve the pressures of the characters involved in death due to capital punishment. Chemicals such as drugs and alcohol can be used for the pleasure of relieving stress, a means to forget, or a way to subdue personal beliefs as the authors have illustrated. The pleasure of relieving stress in George Orwells essay A Hanging was detailed by his thoughts written as one of the executioners. This character drank alcohol to relieve†¦show more content†¦The uses of mind-altering chemicals, H.L. Menckens essay Hangings I have Known illustrates the repression of memory using a young journalist precisely eighteen years, ten months and sixteen days old (pg 92) when he witnesses his first execution as a reporter. He narrates the inebriated state of the sheriff whose responsi bility it was to spring the trap. (pg 92) The sheriffs drinking was to diminish mental anguish he put on himself to a point where he became virtually helpless, the other sheriffs would help pull the trap, but the sheriff was quite unable to tie the knot, bind the candidate, or carry on with the other duties under his responsibility. (pg 92) After the hangings the sheriff was assisted out of the jail yard by his deputies, and departed at once for Atlantic City, where he dug in for a week of nightmare (pg 92). The sheriff was written as a person not able to accept the act of capital punishment or his memories so he attempts to suppress them with alcohol. The final use of chemicals was by Gary Gilmore in Norman Mailers essay Lets Do It to suppress his personal beliefs. Unable to say anything profound to the warden due to the amount of