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Technology In The Life And Crimes Of Harry Lavender

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Imagine the bustling city of Sydney. Neverending cars appear on the roads. The sound of the shutter in photo booths as young couples and students take photos. The soft sound of waves crashing against the sand at Bondi Beach. And… The world of crime underneath. This is the 1980s society of Sydney which Marele Day’s postmodern crime fiction novel ‘The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender’ sets itself in and demonstrates values of the time through character actions and perceptions in the text. Day uses and subverts conventional hard-boiled detective characters through its female detective ‘Claudia Valentine’ revealing the value of feminism in the 1980s. Additionally, the novel emphasises the integration of technology as a double-edged sword and the …show more content…

It is a circuit board, the microchip buildings connected by filament roads." He likens the city to computer parts, conveying his perspective of a technological future. Lavender sees potential for technology to develop, aiding criminals to break and steal into systems without a trace or harm. Compared to crime fiction involving technology like James Bond, his gadgets aid him as a spy, complementary to solving the crime. Yet, Day presents technology as an enemy and fear of society, subverting the ideal use of technology to bust criminals and instead the sidekick to …show more content…

The larger your pockets, the more power you have in society. Especially in the crime world, money allows high-status criminals to get away with their misdemeanours, “But in Sydney, money buys status and is the greatest equaliser.” The wealthy can buy everything, even relationships with “high-ranking police officers, judges and bookies”. Contrast with traditional crime fiction like ‘Sherlock Holmes’ society is with the protagonist. The story ends with mastermind detective Holmes solving the case and bringing justice to a righteous society while in Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender, Claudia lacks to serve justice because money and power have corrupted the society of Sydney. Likewise, Sally takes on the femme fatale trope, “One of her powerful fathers would get her off, have a few words to the right people,” she keeps information crucial to the case in to her father’s reputation and wealth rather than pursuing justice showing the value for power over justice in

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