Microcosm of Secret Sanction by Brian Haig

¶ … Secret Sanction, by Brian Haig [...] beginning, middle, and the end of the microcosm of the novel, and discuss the way the microcosm ends.

SECRET SANCTION

Haig uses microcosm as a compelling and worthwhile tool is his first novel, "Secret Sanction." The beginning microcosm sets the stage for what is to come, and gives some background on the book's protagonist, Sean Drummond. He is a lawyer for JAG, the Army Judge Advocate General. In the beginning, Drummond receives "orders" from General Partridge, "Don't be naive and think there's any way you can win. Got my drift?" (Haig 11). Therefore, from the beginning the reader knows there is something not right here, and no matter what Drummond discovers about the raid and massacre in Bosnia, he cannot win the final trial, or if he does, he will suffer.

The middle microcosm pulls the reader away from the story and ads a sub-plot - did Drummond really murder a nosy reporter? The murder helps underscore the earlier microcosm to the reader, and in effect to Drummond. Just in case he should forget, he is not supposed to win the case. The reporter's murder serves as a wake-up call for him, and gets in the way of his investigation, just as it was planned to do. If he is too busy defending himself from a murder charge, he will not have time to address the Bosnian incident, and it will be swept under the rug, or the mole on Drummond's team will make sure the "correct" verdict is reached at the trial.

The final microcosm in the courtroom is the "piece de resistance." While all through the book, the reader expects, even demands that Drummond do the right thing, in the end, he "sells" out, and does not prosecute Sanchez or Persico. Not only is the ending surprising, it is extremely disturbing, because the Army got exactly what they wanted, they fixed the results. Throughout the book, the microcosms point to this outcome, from setting up Drummond for murder, to the cover-up of what really happened, to the mole on Drummond's team, it is clear someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make sure the Army does not look bad, and one man, Drummond, cannot win against such odds. The reader is subtly prepared for the outcome by the continuing references to the opening and middle microcosms, but still, the end is shocking.

Personally, the microcosms were not enough, even the last one with General Partridge, to set up the final courtroom scene, which ended up trying a totally different and unrelated case to the Kosovo massacre. It was stunning to realize the entire book, including Drummond's intense investigation, had been a massive set-up, and the Army had won. Haig's intent, by using the present, past, then present again, was to clearly show the events, and elicit a response from the reader. Drummond was going to "get" those guys, and he was smarter and cockier than the people that were out to "get" him, so of course he would win. The hero of the novel always wins.