Death Is Only One Breath Away: How Michael Brock Changes in 'The Street Lawyer' Joseph Rodman 9th Grade

Once people realize that death is very real, and that any breath that they take could be their last, they change. A prime example of this is Michael Brock in John Grisham’s The Street Lawyer. Michael began the story as a workaholic whose main priority was to bill as many hours in his office as possible. After a traumatizing experience in which he was nearly killed, he became a completely different man. Michael’s near-death experience changed him from a workaholic to a kinder man who was less focused on work, and eventually to a selfless street lawyer.

Michael Brock began the story as an egotistical workaholic whose top priority was billing as many hours in his office as possible. Although he was married, Michael left no time for his wife, prioritizing his work over her. He said, “I worked 15 hours a day, six days a week...billing lots of hours is more important than a happy wife” (Grisham 32). Michael is clearly a workaholic, working 15 hours six days a week and leaving only 9 on a daily basis for normal activities. The average person works about half of the time that he does. He not only prioritizes working, but he says that it is more important to him that his wife’s happiness. This qualifies Michael as an extreme workaholic,...