Anderson1

MorganAnderson
LanguageA8B
Mr.Garner
May17,2016
Hidden
KatherineAnnPower,alsoknownasAliceMetzinger,grewupinaCatholicfamily,was
ontheFBIsmostwantedlistforfourteenyears,andlaterturnedherselfintoauthoritiesafter
twentythreeyearsontherun.Shewasahighschoolhonorsstudentandvaledictorianwholater
wenttoBrandeisUniversityonascholarship.Inhersenioryearattheuniversity,sheroomed
withSusanSaxewhointroducedhertotheissuesoftheVietnamWar.Tohelpfixthese
problems,theydecidedtorobbanksandgivethemoneytohelparmtheBlackPanthers.Inone
ofthesesrobberies,apoliceofficerwasshotandkilled.Toavoidgoingtojail,PowerandSaxe
gounderground,however,in1975Saxeisarrested.KatherineAnnPowerstaysundergroundand
renamesherselfAliceMetzinger.ShelivesinOregonandhasachild.Shelatermarriedand
continuedherlifeunderherassumedname(Egan).Finallyaftertwentythreeyearsinhiding,she
turnedherselfovertoauthoritiesandwassentencedtosixyearsinprisonandfourteenyearsof
probation.Inliteratureandlife,controversiesarisebetweenrightandwrongdecisionsbasedon
thesituationthathavealastingeffectonthelivesofmany.KatherineAnnPowerisanexample
ofabaddecisionthatresultedinconsequencesthatwerelessthantheyshouldhavebeenbased
onthecrime.
KatherineAnnPowerreceivedalessersentencecomparedtoheraccomplices.Many
peoplehavereasontobelievethatthisisacceptablebecauseshereinventedherselfafterher

Anderson2

crime.ShewasasmalltownOregoncook,restaurantconsultant,wifeandmother(Lambert).
Asaresultofhercriminalactions,shesuffereddepressionandlonelinessbecauseshemissedher
family.Tohelpherregainhermentalhealthandfamily,shedecidedtoturnherselfintothe
police(Egan).SheaidedthemurderofWalterSchroederandreleasedastatementexpressing
regretforthedeathofOfficerWalterA.Schroederduringthe"naiveandunthinking"actionsshe
attributedtoherantiwaractivism."Hisdeathwasshockingtome.Powersaid."Inresponse,I
havelivedmylifeassomethingofapenitent,everseekingtogrowasapersonofpeace
(Lambert).Sheisbelievedtobegenuinelysorryforheractions,writingonherblogMywork
inprisonhasbeentopeeloffthelayersofthatdefensiveness,togettothepointwhereIcould
looksquarelyintothepainedaccusingfacesofthevictimsofmycrimeandsay,Iwaswrong.I
waswrongallalong.BeforeGodIamsorry.Iwillalwaysbesosorry.(Power)
KatherineAnnPowercouldhavebeensentencedtolifeinprison,butinsteadgotsix
years.Hercaseshouldbeconsideredunfairbecausetheotherpeopleinvolvedinthecrimegot
moretimeinprisonbecausetheywerecaughtsoonerthanPower.Theothersinvolvedinthe
robberymayhavealsolivedaremorsefullifehadtheynotbeencaught.Statementsthatshehas
made,givetheappearancethatsheisremorseful.However,shewroteandprofitedfromabook
basedoffhercrimes.Shecommittedaheinouscrime,stayedhiddenforyearsandthenwenton
toprofitbywritingabookaboutherroleinWalterSchroedersdeath.Somewouldwonderif
sheisreallyremorsefulorjusttryingtofreeherguiltyconscienceandmakemoneyfromher
crime.
Powerdidnotsuffertheconsequencesthatsheshouldhavebasedonwhatshehaddone.
Shegotoffalmostscotfreeeventhoughshewasaleadingcounterpartinapoliceofficers

Anderson3

murder.Whenhedied,heleftbehindhiswifeandninechildren.Oneofthem,Sgt.Claire
Schroederwrote,Oneofherfriendsshotmyfatherinthebackandlefthimtodieinapoolof
hisownblood.KatherinePowerwaswaitinginthegetawaycar,andshedrovethetriggerman
andherotherfriendsawaytosafety...ThetragedyinthiscaseisnotthatKatherinePowerlived
for23yearswhilelookingoverhershoulder.Thetragedyisthatmyfatherslifewascutshort
fornoreason,shotinthebackwithabulletofacoward(Wilson).TheSchroederfamilylost
abelovedhusbandandfatherthedaythatthecrimewascommitted.Whilethefamilygrieved,
Powerwasafreewomanandremainedthatwayfortwentythreeyears.Itwasonlyafter
tensionsdieddown,thatdidshedecidedtoturnherselfovertoauthorities.Powershouldnotbe
walkingaroundfreetodayandshouldnotbeprofitingfromhercrime.
Thenovel
EattheDocument
byDanaSpiotta

isverysimilartothelifestoryofKatherine
AnnPower.Forexample,themaincharacter,MaryWhittaker,isinvolvedinabombingplotand
isontherunforalongtime.ThisissimilartoPowersstorybecauseshedidalmosttheexact
samething."Shewasquitecertainthatyoucouldchangeyourpast,changethefacts,bywill
alone,"Ms.Spiottawrites."Onlymemorymakesitreal.Soeliminatethememory.Andifitwas
alsotruethattherewereoccasionswhenshecouldn'tcontrolwherehermindwentadream,a
coldsweatatanunexpectedmoment,anodorthatwouldsuddenlybetrayhertimewould
improveit.Timelessenseverythingthegoodthingsyoudesperatelywanttoremember,and
theawfulthingsyouneedtoforget(Kakutani).Thissuggeststhatthemaincharactersuffered
depressionandregretforhercrimesPowerisalsothoughttosuffertheseaswell.
Passionandgoodintentionsforacausedonotjustifycriminalactions.Robberyand
murderarewronganddeservetobepunished.Mostarenotremorsefulfortheircrimeuntil

Anderson4

caughtandbaddecisionsshouldalwayshaveconsequences.Powershouldhavecomeforward
aboutherroleinthemurderandfacedherpunishmentsooner.HersayingImsorryand
servingalessersentenceisnotjustice.

Anderson5

WorksCited
Egan,Timothy."AConscienceHauntedbyaRadical'sCrime."
TheNewYorkTimes
.TheNew
YorkTimes,16Sept.1993.Web.16May2016.
Kakutani,Michiko."ARadicalontheRun,DeterminedtoEscapethePast."
TheNewYork
Times
.TheNewYorkTimes,02Feb.2006.Web.16May2016.
Lambert,Pam."AliceDoesn'tLiveHereAnymore."
:People.com
.PeopleMagazine,04Oct.
1993.Web.16May2016.
Power,KatherineAnn."PracticalPeace."
PracticalPeace
.N.p.,2010.Web.16May2016.
Wilson,BradfordP."Publications."
Ashbrook
.AshlandUniversity,Oct.1993.Web.16May
2016.