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What Is The Central Idea Of Steve Earle A Death In Texas

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In Steve Earle’s essay, “A Death in Texas”, Earle gives descriptions of his and Nobles interactions and how he behaved during the days that lead up to his execution on October 7th, 1998. The essay gives a glimpse of Nobles through Earle’s eyes, depicting him as a sorrowful man who confessed to his murders and was working to atone for his sins. Earle’s wrote about how he changed his behavior by getting clean and finding God, as well as earning the respect of the inmates and guards along the way. Reading Earle’s descriptions of Nobles could lead one to believe he was rehabilitated and could have possibly been fit for society, however, some evidence points towards the direction that Nobles may not have been completely rehabilitated after all. …show more content…

Often, individuals who were abused as children become controlling and seek power over others as they grow. During the beginning of his incarceration, Nobles was very violent and often went to great lengths just to attack the guards. His behavioral change was apparently brought on by him finding religion and how “He admired the Dominicans so much that he set his sights on becoming one of them” (Earle 76). He did end up becoming a lay member, helping with mass and being a godfather to another inmate. Nobles was also allowed to speak with other inmates and minister them. Earle’s writes about the time he visited Nobles in Ellis, and another inmate stopped to speak with the two. The guard allowed the conversation to end, writing “Such socialization during inmate transfer is a clear violation of policy, but a lot of the rules have relaxed for Jon” (77). Deviating from the strict policy for a single man seemed illogical, it gave Nobles exactly what he wanted: A sense of power over not only the inmates, but the guards as

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