Before Us Are Life and Death: Seeing with God’s Eyes

Caption: Images and facts of Jim Quillen displayed at Alcatraz.

“Before man are life and death, good and evil" (Sirach 15:17). These words reminded me of the “artwork” displayed at Alcatraz. The artwork displayed towards the end of the prison tour is not exactly in the style of the great Renaissance or Baroque period. Rather, it is the artwork of God in the life of prisoner Jim Quillen. The display at Alcatraz explains that, due to his difficult childhood, Jim Quillen became a “habitual runaway”, was sent to a reform school, and at the age of 21, ultimately ended up in prison for robbery and kidnapping. In verse from the Book of Sirach, we see that Jim Quillen did not choose to keep the commandments; instead, he chose death and evil. The display on Quillen also embodies another truth, namely, that God “understands man’s every deed” (Sirach 15:19). By sharing that Quillen grew up in a violent family, the display allows us to glimpse how God sees our lives. Despite his poor choices, Quillen eventually reintegrated into society, obtained stable work, married, and supported his daughter. In other words, the display allows us to see beyond a mere prisoner with a number and invites us to recognize the dignity of Jim Quillen.

During the Alcatraz tour, visitors also learn that because prisoners were physically confined, “most prisoners sought mental escape through books. Literate convicts read 75–100 books a year.” Knowing that Quillen later reformed his life invites us to imagine whether Quillen read scripture, encountered God’s mercy, and became an evangelist, or rather, a bearer of good news himself.