The major themes of the novel emerge from Spenser's investigation of the injustice of the English Department's tenure decision regarding Robinson Nevins. One major theme of the novel is widespread social hypocrisy. Spenser's investigation reveals that Nevins was the victim of political enmity within the Department and that the votes of many department members were influenced by rumors of scandal. The entire process of tenure review is subjected to an ironic treatment by Parker, since the faculty of the English Department is supposedly committed to learning the truth, rather than making decisions on rumor and hearsay.
Moreover, the majority of the Department advertises itself as seeking justice for minorities, yet makes little effort to evaluate Nevins' case on the basis of hard evidence.
In fact, the Department is chiefly represented at the final hearing.....
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