Shortly after Robert's death, aquaintances of Ives were urging him to seek revenge with more violence. "...Just remember, if you don't take care of business, no one else will. Do you really think God gives a *censored*," remarked Mr. Malloy. But Ives knew this was not the answer, "it [revenge] would not bring his son back." At this point Ives did not know how to feel, but he soon reasoned that his bitterness towards Daniel Gomez was a "poison," and he needed to do "something" to get the poison out of his body. So, Ives concluded that the only way to deal with his suffering was to "trust in God and cling to the path of righteousness; and this he did, despite his doubts, approaching the whole

The sores on his body were obviously an outer manifestation of his soul. When the sores healed it proved to Ives that he could now forgive Daniel Gomez for the murder of his son. Robert, the victim, is the instrument of this. Now that Robert has forgiven Gomez, Ives must forgive him as well.

I beseech you to think about what our Lord would have done.

mysterious winds, where they would be joined unto Him

At this very moment Ives began a quest for "some kind of goodness." It all began with a subtle interest in helping Daniel Gomez' grandmother, a woman who was convinced her grandson's good side was "asleep." Ives began to accompany her to group grief sessions, hoping to "bring some kind of relief to his grandmother and perhaps to himself." As the sessions persisted, Ives began to communicate with Gomez, sending him letters and a package every so often. Ives' first letter was persuasive, telling Gomez "it is not too late to change." As the years passed Gomez proved his progress by sending Ives a small piece he wrote that was later printed in the prison newsletter and Ives "began to feel that he had been correct in his beliefs."

Towards the end of the novel in a segment entitled "The Miracle of His Skin," Ives described to Luis the unbelievable thing that occurred while on vacation with Annie in Europe. He explained to Luis how serious his condition had become while away.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1287
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)