Page 173

By Jack Joseph Smith

(39° Pacing acress his shack he stoppeds His feet and mind were:suddénly: there om the fleer ‘and ‘in the sented ‘airs : He looked back em his :portrayal! of’ the -gum! (If this guy wants te be the bank president, if this: guy will be-the bank president, then I better -be~ Jessie Jamess’) He had ‘studied'them and'an irmag-- ination hell: bent on convincing before he tad? ste . ood up te leaves At the doer he had tumeds "Ook, this is a guy" His right hand ‘raised slowly with: ; a leese gun, as if it were the weight! and net the bullets he were mesuring in the thittyseight' capt. from hia lend? ne He returned acroos this: reed his finger: peiiting ; ahead ‘and ‘toward'the group of mens mie! Syee: ment that he had madé it inte-the invisable citoular: wall) respected beyond ‘their reproach, : He stepped “there in his rememterence too and’ said, "I could ‘blew your ‘brains out, you knew:that: don! 4 youl" He had waited ia moment, ,had'let' his armfall, 4” ; Hees C4 Wwe and begur.to walk out in pay ove) 3 ane eeet Atel. rf you, ~ Jy EW stolew back: At the door he turned ‘again! tarter vee bold ch n ; yeerngeleP' all, I did came here to acta" - SOOM Haporrd wend cand Evers onen ts The words, ."will give you'a salty wore th hin bef ’ 7 as he walked but his own door, and into a patio of ; . . His

Original Scan

Page 173

AI Interpretation

GPT

Jiven Joe replays the audition as a gangster scene in his own head, reclaiming humiliation by imagining himself as the dangerous force the room failed to respect.

The page is pure compensatory theatre, but not empty theatre. He needs the fantasy of the gun, the line, and the turned doorway in order to reverse the power of the meeting and walk back into his own life with some charge left in him.

Claude

Jiven Joe replays the audition as a gangster scene in his own head, reclaiming humiliation by imagining retribution. The page is revenge fantasy in rehearsal.