Sorry, Swreader, your arguments just don't hold up.
In Guards! Guards!, Vimes 'redemption' was largely the influence of Carrot and Sybil, who believed that he could be something more than an ineffectual drunk. There's no evidence whatsoever that Vimes was thinking of himself in terms of "upholding the law" or "enforcing justice," whether Vetinari believed he could be a better man or not. Vimes was simply dealing with a threat to the city.
At the beginning of Men at Arms, Vimes is about to retire. In fact, he has very little to do in the book in terms of "solving the crime;' Carrot does most of the work. Only when Vimes sees the danger the gonne poses to public order and safety does he take an active role in trying to solve the crime. But, again, this is simply whodunnit stuff--find the killer, stop the gonne. Nothing to do with an any true feeling about the Law Vimes has developed.
In Feet of Clay, Vimes' burning of Dragon's books is nothing more than a vigilante act of retribution. The act would do nothing to keep Dragon from continuing his manipulations, since Dragon already has the histories of the old families in his head and, as Vetinari himself says, these histories could be reconstructed by the families themselves if need be. The act doesn't represent any kind of justice at all, since it's outside the bounds of AM laws. Vimes is not thinking in terms of the Law or as somehow who upholds the Law; he is someone who is feeding a private vendetta because he knows justice won't truly be served.
Certainly VImes has evolved in these books. The Vimes of Men at Arms is a better, smarter copper than the Vimes of Guards! Guards. The Vimes of LOC demonstrates, for the first time, those 'street-smart' skills and sympathy for the oppressed that will become the core elements of the Vimes in later books, as well as his growing tolerance for non-human races, including his realization (with Carrot's help) that golems are sentient beings.
But, to this point, Vimes never truly seriously thinks about what The Law means and his own relationship to it. Until Jingo, he is essentially a crime-fighter and threat-eraser. The Law he is serving is Vetinari's law, and the laws of Ankh Morpork. But the events of Jingo demonstrate to Vimes that even when nations operate within their own laws, even the laws of warfare, they are breaking a higher law--the Law that says that it is a crime for little crimes to cause bigger crimes. When he "arrests" both armies, he is essentially enforcing a higher law--the law of humanity itself. And, even then, he comes very close to breaking this law when he realizes that sometimes it's impossible to fully enforce. It is here that Vimes truly begins to think in abstract terms. He is much more than Vetinari's terrier; he is becoming the world's peacemaker. He also realizes that if he's going to be the world's chief law enforcer, he can no longer commit acts like burning down businesses, or even letting the manacled Vetinari go. The Law must apply to everyone.
From this point on, Vimes' perception of what the Law really is--and his role in enforcing it--will become central themes in the Guards books.
In Guards! Guards!, Vimes 'redemption' was largely the influence of Carrot and Sybil, who believed that he could be something more than an ineffectual drunk. There's no evidence whatsoever that Vimes was thinking of himself in terms of "upholding the law" or "enforcing justice," whether Vetinari believed he could be a better man or not. Vimes was simply dealing with a threat to the city.
At the beginning of Men at Arms, Vimes is about to retire. In fact, he has very little to do in the book in terms of "solving the crime;' Carrot does most of the work. Only when Vimes sees the danger the gonne poses to public order and safety does he take an active role in trying to solve the crime. But, again, this is simply whodunnit stuff--find the killer, stop the gonne. Nothing to do with an any true feeling about the Law Vimes has developed.
In Feet of Clay, Vimes' burning of Dragon's books is nothing more than a vigilante act of retribution. The act would do nothing to keep Dragon from continuing his manipulations, since Dragon already has the histories of the old families in his head and, as Vetinari himself says, these histories could be reconstructed by the families themselves if need be. The act doesn't represent any kind of justice at all, since it's outside the bounds of AM laws. Vimes is not thinking in terms of the Law or as somehow who upholds the Law; he is someone who is feeding a private vendetta because he knows justice won't truly be served.
Certainly VImes has evolved in these books. The Vimes of Men at Arms is a better, smarter copper than the Vimes of Guards! Guards. The Vimes of LOC demonstrates, for the first time, those 'street-smart' skills and sympathy for the oppressed that will become the core elements of the Vimes in later books, as well as his growing tolerance for non-human races, including his realization (with Carrot's help) that golems are sentient beings.
But, to this point, Vimes never truly seriously thinks about what The Law means and his own relationship to it. Until Jingo, he is essentially a crime-fighter and threat-eraser. The Law he is serving is Vetinari's law, and the laws of Ankh Morpork. But the events of Jingo demonstrate to Vimes that even when nations operate within their own laws, even the laws of warfare, they are breaking a higher law--the Law that says that it is a crime for little crimes to cause bigger crimes. When he "arrests" both armies, he is essentially enforcing a higher law--the law of humanity itself. And, even then, he comes very close to breaking this law when he realizes that sometimes it's impossible to fully enforce. It is here that Vimes truly begins to think in abstract terms. He is much more than Vetinari's terrier; he is becoming the world's peacemaker. He also realizes that if he's going to be the world's chief law enforcer, he can no longer commit acts like burning down businesses, or even letting the manacled Vetinari go. The Law must apply to everyone.
From this point on, Vimes' perception of what the Law really is--and his role in enforcing it--will become central themes in the Guards books.
