Essay Example on Snake Eyes: Mr. Vallon and His Gang's Deadly Reputation

"Tommy!" called out Mr. Vallon (commonly referred to as Snake Eyes by his gang members) to his son. The older man was a deadly sight to behold, considering that he had tattoos of skeletons all over his body and the parts that were not covered by ink were his eyes and his ears. His nickname "Snake Eyes," came about to precede his reputation for cutting off the eyes of his rivals. At one point, there was a myth and rumor that was going around that he fed on the eyes that cut from those he killed. As a result, he could be able to see any attack from afar regardless of the number of adversaries that were plotting against him. To be fair, the praise that he was afforded came about after he was able to establish and maintain both turf and honor for his people (Irish immigrants) - considering that the 1860s was a period when crime and violence rocked the streets of urban man centers in the country. In addition to this, the level of unemployment was very high, and the cost of living was high. Thus, crime was pursued as the viable option for making ends meet since there were no jobs (particularly for the young people) that lacked the necessary skills and knowledge to chase white collar jobs.

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All in all, those who know Snake Eyes garnered information from the streets, and this presented him as a fearless and cruel man that would kill anyone who crossed his path. Unknown to many. However, Mr. Vallon was a loving and caring man that loved to cook for his only son. Moreover, he was an outdoor person who liked to go to the beach. His mean and fearless demeanor was a minor character that he presented to the outside world so that they could afford him and his gang respect. Therefore, "The Red Devils" was made up of only Irish immigrants who were looking to make a living for themselves and their loved ones. During that time, crime was prevalent mainly because there were a series of ethnic clashes among warring groups as they tried to either maintain or rise in the ethnic ladder. Thanks to the efforts by Snake Eyes, his gang was at the epicenter of all activities which pronounced them as the group with the largest territory and the one which commanded the most respect. His closest archrival was Mr. Rabbit (a cunning and ruthless young man in his late 20s). Mr. Vallon loathed the kid (as he mostly liked to call) because he had been the one that had robbed him of his wife following her execution that he ordered. At the time, Tommy was still young; hence, he never got to see his mom growing up.

During this fateful day, father and son were at the beach, and this made Mr. Vallon undress and get into a pair of shorts. This allowed the tattoos all over his body to be seen, and this made a lot of people along the beach scared as they avoided him and his kid. Tommy, at the time, had no idea who his father was and what he could do. To him, the older man was a superhero and who could do anything. Mind you; his perspective was that of a five-year-old who only wanted to be raised to the sky and try to touch the clouds. Upon hearing his name, Tommy rushed to see his father, and as he jumped into his arms, he noticed a group of twelve individuals walking towards them. Quickly he turned to his father and pointed at the men, and it was at this point that reality dawned on the older adult. The D-Day was finally here. During such occasions, family time with his boy, Snake Eyes never carried any form of weapon considering that he never wanted his son to come across anything that might harm him. In addition to this, there were unwritten rules among gangs that public places, such as parks and the beach, were forbidden for gang activities. Hence, invasion and attacks on rival gangs could not be in public venues where people gathered.

As he stood there helpless, he looked at his son, and for the first time, there was remorse and fear in the eyes of the one man every man feared in the streets. He took his son and hid him behind his back before addressing Mr. Rabbit (who was leading the gang). "Just leave my son out of this, that is the only thing I ask," he managed to stammer from his shaking lips. "Bye! Bye! Old man," those are the last words that Tommy remembered from the lips of the mean, ruthless man that took the life of his father right in front him. They sprayed him with bullets as the child watched amid screams and a stampede that had developed along the beach. One thing that Tommy did, which still shocks him, was that he never cried nor screamed as he saw the life of his loving father fed away. In a way, it was like he saw it coming yet he never knew what his dad did in the streets.

Years later, now in his mid-20s, Tommy had grown to be a loving and committed citizen who sought to protect and ensure the streets were safe from gangs. He led a task force of six police officers who had received proper training on how to prevent gang attacks and bring about peace as well as a clam. Many found it hard to believe that the son of a crime lord had turned out to be an excellent law enforcement officer. To them, they had expected that he would grow to become a gang member and terrorize the streets of New York. Funny enough, the boy never remembered his father as a killer or a terror to the streets but an old man who has a lot of ink that were unnecessary for his age.

In one fateful afternoon, as he was responding to a gang shootout, Tommy alongside his team geared up and rushed to the scene to prevent the situation from escalating, prevent casualties, and apprehend the culprits that were responsible for the gunfire. To their surprise, they were met with heavy gunfire as the gang that was leading the onslaught was "Skinny Eyes." As a law enforcement officer, Tommy had come to learn a lot about these gangs, and it was this particular gang that was responsible for most of the robberies that were reported as well as the sexual assault charges that had been reported. Not to the surprise of many, it was led by Mr. Rabbit, and he was a gang leader that relied on fear and violence to impose his will on the innocent.

Following the death of Snake Eyes, many gangs had joined that of Mr. Rabbit, and they had to abide by his wishes, or they could also lose their lives. As the task force tried to retaliate and match the gunfire they had just received, it was then that they learned the leader (Mr. Rabbit) had joined his team in this given expedition. It was unlike his style to participate in robberies and killings as he liked to order them, but on this fateful day, he was among those present. The team called for backup and surrounded the scene, making it possible for anyone to escape. Known as a calm and collected individual, Tommy, for the first time was filled with rage and the urge to seek vengeance.

His gentle nature of that of a well-trained police officer vanished and in its place was a furious and angry man that wanted to kill the man who had murdered his father. And who could blame the man, he had witnessed the shooting of his father, and he had also come to learn that his mother had died after the same guy had been responsible for the plot to kill his mother. He broke protocol and advanced towards the warehouse where the gang was hiding. Making his way to the warehouse, he shot those who were firing at him and even those that tried to surrender.

The sight was scary to behold. His fellow team members followed him for support, and they also helped in eliminating those that shot from locations that Tommy could not see. As he shot his way, Tommy came face to face with Mr. Rabbit, and from the way they looked at each other, one could tell they knew who the other was. "Bye! Bye! Old man" were the last words that Mr. Rabbit could remember as Tommy shot him. The old man lied there in disbelief as he had assumed that Tommy would arrest him. There was a sense of relief and joy, watching the guy sleep there helpless and in disbelief. Tommy had avenged the death of his parents in addition to ending an era of agony and violence in New York.