After having worked and lived in the back of a lawnmower repair shop for his first few weeks back in town after his release, Karl first meets Frank Wheatley outside a laundromat. He watches for a moment while Frank, a thin and gangly boy, struggles with many heavy bags, then introduces himself and offers to carry some of the bags, provided he doesn’t “give out first.” Despite having a mental disability, Karl’s gesture suggests he is a kind, caring man, genuinely concerned for the well being of a youth to whom he had no former connection. Once they reach Frank’s home and drop off the bags of laundry, Karl accompanies Frank to his mother’s place of occupation, the local dollar store. Obviously lonely and glad for the company, Frank insures that his mother meets Karl, an odd man who stands somewhat apart from the boy and ducks his head—uncertain how to act in the presence of others. Linda Wheatley, depicted as a soft spoken and caring individual from the outset, decides upon hearing of Karl’s current residence that she doesn’t like the idea of his living there. Hoping to secure both a better home for Karl and a playmate for her son, she offers Karl her garage, and he shyly accepts. His mental state aside, the viewer notes that Karl has the makings of a gentleman.

A Karl’s kindness and affection for Frank manifest more strongly elsewhere. At one point, he agrees to play football with the boy and, during the game, allows Frank and his friends to win, demonstrating his general selflessness. He disapproves of the manner in which Doyle Hargraves, Linda’s boyfriend, curses and yells in Frank’s presence, and tells Frank when they are alone that Doyle “ought not to talk to” him that way. His concern is almost fatherly. He also, however, shows a quiet respect for Doyle, refusing to rebuke the other man’s brash authority in the household until Doyle tries to strike Frank. Seizing Doyle’s arm to prevent the blow from landing, Karl informs Doyle in no uncertain terms that hitting his young friend isn’t a good idea. His simplemindedness does not prevent him from having a clear, personal definition of right and wrong.

As the film progresses, Karl also proves himself capable of regret, as when Frank asks him about the murders Karl committed in his youth. Karl does not condone his own actions, and, when the miserable young boy tells Karl he’d like to kill Doyle, Karl kindly but firmly tells Doyle that young boys shouldn’t have such vengeful thoughts. He suggests Frank should just have fun and leave the worrying to the adults.

The situation between the Wheatleys, Doyle, and Karl deteriorates when Doyle informs his “family,” including Karl, that he intends to marry Linda and change some rules around the house. He plans to beat Frank’s whininess out of him and kick Karl off the property, thereby removing Frank’s only confidante from the premises. Knowing that Linda and Frank will be miserable if Doyle carries out his plans, Karl deals with the situation the only way he knows how: he sends Frank and Linda to a friend’s house for the night, and, echoing events in his past, sinks a lawnmower blade into Doyle’s skull, permanently eradicating the threat he represented to the Wheatley family.

Karl’s benevolent but bloody actions do constitute a crime, however, and the law determines once more that he cannot remain in mainstream society. Neither his limited intellectual capacity nor good intentions can fully exonerate him, so he returns to the state hospital from which he emerged in the film’s opening. As with everyone else in the film, Karl has a place he belongs, and the screenwriter returns him to it in the final scene.

By Ash Barnes (UNC-CH)