The Lock Artist

Mike receives a Yamaha motorcycle as a gift from his Uncle Lito soon before he begins his involvement with the Ghost and the man in Detroit—not long before he leaves Milford, departing for his new life as a professional criminal. Riding the motorcycle gives him an exhilarating feeling of freedom and independence—something beyond what he experienced simply driving a car. It makes him feel “like [he] own[s] the whole world” (189). The inherent danger in driving a motorcycle likewise seems symbolic of the illicit lifestyle Mike is about to embrace at this juncture. The Yamaha motorcycle from Lito breaks down at the end of Mike’s trip to Philadelphia for his first professional criminal operation. Later, when Mike joins the white pager crew, they give him a fancy new Harley-Davidson as a birthday present. This upgrade to a higher-end motorcycle seems to symbolize Mike’s development as a criminal: It crowns his achievement of expert status.

Water appears as a curious motif in the middle of the novel when Mike begins his comic-strip correspondence with Amelia. As he is preparing a drawing for her, he slips into a dream about “water pouring into the room, running down the walls, coming through the window.