Fisher: Witness

“Ford was determined to make the character of John Book more than just another wise-cracking, head-splitting, big-city cop” (Pfeiffer 149). When John Book enters Rachel’s Amish society to hide himself and Samuel from his corrupt superiors, he learns about different aspects of Amish society that have a profound effect upon him.

At the beginning of the film, Book, like the tourists shown later in the film, shows ambivalence towards Rachel and her son’s Amish practices. However, after being integrated into the Amish daily life, he grows to respect the group’s values of community and hard work. For instance, rather than distancing himself to do personal work on his car, Book joins in a community barn raising event. Book’s participation shows that he appreciates the Amish work ethic and supports their way of life, even if he believes that he doesn’t belong in it. He has separated himself from other “Englishmen” by educating himself about Amish life and accepting it.

While living in hiding, Book also learns to practice restraint around his hosts. In the city, Book is shown to be rather impulsive, such as when he and his partner drive to a dive bar immediately after leaving the crime scene to forcefully grab a possible suspect. He also disregards his sister Elaine’s personal plans and tramps into her house last minute in order to find a place to keep his key witness. In contrast, in his time in the Lapp house, he willingly relents his gun and bullets to Rachel for safe keeping. Additionally, rather than acting on the instinctive attraction between him and Rachel, he takes time to understand the repercussions of entering a physical relationship with her and lets it go.

Although Book still believes in administering justice through violence, as seen when he breaks a boy’s nose for antagonizing some members of the Amish community, the conclusion of the movie strongly contrasts Book’s views. In the final confrontation between Book and Schaeffer, Book persuades Schaeffer to surrender by appealing to Schaeffer’s humanity rather than through brutality. It cannot be said that Book has now become a pacifist, but this experience has perhaps shown him that, as Eli Lapp says, there is always more than one way to resolve a conflict.

While Book undergoes these transformations, there is one subject that he never changes on: religion. At no point in the film does Book ever relent to his environment’s serious religious beliefs, other than praying at the dinner table to be polite. This unmovable part of John Book is an important factor in his decision to leave. Rachel lives her lifestyle not just because of her devotion to the values of community and hard work, but also because she conforms to a religious code. Book cannot change who he is at his core in order to be with her, which is ultimately why he leaves.