I just finished reading the book, and I have not seen the film - I actually did not know a film existed. In the book, Ethan Hawley is the descendent of a formerly prominent family - his grandfather was a whaling ship captain, and made a large amount of money from the whale oil produced from his catches. His father owned the town grocery store, but Ethan works as a grocery clerk for Marullo, the current owner. Ethan informs on Marullo being an illegal immigrant, and takes advantage of his friendship with Danny Taylor, a childhood friend who is now an alcoholic, to obtain the large property Danny inherited - the town business leaders want that property to build an air field to develop the town and make themselves wealthier. Perhaps the film changed these details for some reason. Kudslop (talk) 13:42, 18 April 2023 (UTC)Reply
