The Mad Trapper: 3 Major Characteristics of Spike Millen.
Spike Millen was a young man who did not live his life by the book. He had great intentions of being the town hero. Spike thought he was the best officer for the manhunt because he seemed to have the most in common with Albert Johnson. He showed many characteristics along the way in the long, painful hunt for Johnson.
One of the main ones he thought would help was his ability to communicate with the modern day man. He was an officer who did not always follow the rules and this got him in trouble sometimes with Constable Alfred King. He was a man of the rules while Millen tried to use his ability to figure out how Johnson was going to react or move. He wanted to capture Johnson himself, because he figured he could just talk to him. He believed nothing would come out of it until the end of the novel when he realized he had a tough chase ahead of him.
During the hunt, Millen always thought he could get him by himself. He was persistent in his attempt to capture Johnson. This chase was different from his normal job where he usually bases his job and checking on people. For example, after Millen got his first complaint he went to check on Johnson and help him if he needed it. Spike believes he could do this without King to start with but knows later that a team is needed to find him. He is upset when he makes certain moves that he feels lengthens the chase. Even when Millen is wounded and Inspector Eames wants him off the chase, he is not willing to go. He started it and wanted to finish it.
The last thing I will discuss in my essay is the tactics of Spike Millen as a police officer. The reason for the length of the hunt was because how smart Johnson was in the woods. Millen was a good officer who knews the woods as well but Johnson was always one step ahead of him and the RCMP force. This lasted until he ran out of supplies.
