The Marquis St. Evremonde

Noted Prince of Darkness Robert Novak ran over a pedestrian in a crosswalk in Washington DC on Wednesday. Novak, who's been noted for his "aggressive driving" in the past, was driving a black Corvette convertible and had to be confronted by a bicyclist before stopping after the accident. As it turns out, the guy he hit is an 86 year old homeless person, and contrary to initial reports indicating that he had only light injuries, he remains hospitalized (although he's now talking to reporters).

This morning I was thinking about the kind of noble scorn Novak's behavior - specifically, the serial disregard and hit-and-run aspects of his conduct - describes and the Marquis St. Evremonde came to mind. Granted it's a stretch. But there are some parallels. In A Tale of Two Cities, the Marquis St. Evremonde is, like Novak, an asshole aristocrat with great disregard for the peasantry who runs over a similarly helpless person in his chariot and nearly gets away with it.

Okay, so Novak's accident is hardly comparable to St. Evremonde's willfull attack. But hey, the parallel struck me.