Walter thinks of his business as just one huge bet, and he does
not really think about what consequences come afterwards. However, when one of
his bets goes too far, Walter's conscience slowly gets the better of him;
however he chooses to shake it off. Later in the novel, his conscience
begins to show and it deteriorates him. To some extent Walter Huff does have a conscience;
it just takes certain measures to get there.
Walter
Huff works for an insurance business in California. The way that Walter
describes the business as "the biggest gambling wheel in the world"
(23) makes the insurance company seem more of like a game to him. Because the
rest of the page goes on about how Walter likes to make bets and how he
"lie[s] awake at night thinking up tricks" (24) so he can be ready
for later, it really emphasizes that he thinks of a hugely important business
as merely a game. This lack of seriousness he gives highlights that his conscience
does not kick in and think about the consequences in situations of insurance.
However, one of Walter's 'bets' goes a
little too far when he meets a woman named Phyllis. Walter becomes so
emotionally drawn to Phyllis that he will do nearly anything for her, even
murder. They pair up and with Phyllis' motives and Walter's cunning mind and
insurance experience, they set out to kill Phyllis's husband, Herbert. Later in
the plans, Walter’s conscience starts to peek through when they are about to
commit the murder. When he was waiting for the car, he said he “waited exactly
two minutes, but it seemed like an hour” (42). Also, Walter stated that he was
even “too afraid to breathe” (44). These moments in time before the murder emphasize
Huff’s nervousness, signaling that his conscience was starting to set it. Other
signs of nervousness he had were when they were going through the plan itself.
He went through each step with grave detail on how he wanted anything and everything
done leading up to the murder. For example, with getting Herbert’s crutches,
Huff “show[s] her that her only chance was to talk dumb, not start the car, and
wait him out, until he would get so sore, and so worried over time, that he
would make a martyr out of himself and get it himself” (43). This passage,
along with many other examples in the novel, underscores the nervousness he
had, hinting at his consciousness.
After the
murder is all said and done, Walter’s conscience grows in time, making him
deliberate on what he has done. He said that afterwards “everything cracked”
and that he was “sicker than I had ever been in my life” (54). Also, he said
that he tried not to think but “it would creep up on [him]” (54). He lies awake
at night and he realizes what he has done, which makes him feel awful. He says, “I had killed a man. I had killed a
man to get a woman. I had put myself in her power…” (54). This entire night of
reflection and regret of what he did shows Walter’s conscience growing so large
that he is unable to ignore it.
In
conclusion, Walter’s conscience has little to no value in everyday life. In his
insurance business, he goes about setting up bets and thinking of how to win
all of them with ease, not thinking of what happens next. However, when a woman
gets involved and he falls head-over-heels, he goes to great lengths to help
her and win his bet at the same time. However, because of the intensity of this
bet, the murder brings out his conscience. Even though he brushes it off on the
night of the murder, it comes back harder than before and it really makes
Walter think about his actions.
