I've read two totally different types of books recently and both mentioned compartmentalized thinking or a compartmentalized life. One of the books was about JFK and the other was unrelated fiction. Recently in CNN's The Sixty's series, the episode dealing with JFK's assassination mentioned the concept also but it was almost quoting from the book I had read. In looking into that concept more online, I've found that people also use it in terms of describing Bill Clinton's presidency.
Think of the "compartments" as a series of rooms with locked doors. (Or like one of those U-Store buildings with drive-up storage units all in a row.) His childhood memories in one. Julia in one. His religion and all that entails in another. His detective work in one. I find that if I apply the concept to the William Murdoch character it helps to answer some of my nagging questions about his behaviour over the years. So the question is: do you think William compartmentalizes the people and events in his life? He can move in out of these rooms through out the day but he shuts the door on one before he enters the next.
Often this can develop in childhood as a way to survive a difficult life. I could see William developing this mindset at an early age to survive his difficult childhood with an alcoholic father and loss of his mother at an early age. I was an only child and know how a sensitive child who feels alone in the world and/or overwhelmed can feel the need to create/do whatever it takes to survive in an adult world when you have no control over what happens to you or around you.
William is brilliant but he can be seem to be inexplicably detached at times. Compartmentalized thinking would give that impression I think. For adult, Roman Catholic William it would allow him to see awful murder scenes sometimes involving children or young women and yet remain cool and efficient. Also, it would allow a deeply religious William to also be very scientific at the same time.....one world requires faith in what can never be proved and the other world requires absolute proof....certainly odd bedfellows. It would allow him to fall deeply in love with Julia but then let her marry someone else because he gave his word that he no longer had a relationship with her. It would allow him to feel empathy for a young woman who thinks he betrayed her in court (and technically he did and he knows it) and yet when she asked him if he'd be there to watch her hang...he coldly replied yes, it's my duty. (Can't remember her name but she's the woman he let escape from jail at the end of Murdoch in Wonderland).
Thoughts?
I only wanted t quote the last paragraph as it pertains to William's religion. I think part of the appeal for me in the Murdoch character is that, while he is devoutly Catholic in his beliefs, he's also a man of science. Historically, science and religion have never really gotten along well, so for Murdoch to see and understand the importance of science as it pertains to his work, in spite of what the Church has long held as a tenet, is actually quite interesting!
The other thing I like about William, and it's been touched on several times, is his almost childlike, yet strangely adult thinking as it pertains to every day life. One of my favourite scenes has to be when Brackenreid charges George with investing the money he confiscated from his own wife! George shows William the list ( Coca-Cola, General Electric, IBM, etc) and William's question made me burst out laughing when he said something about the security of Canada Savings Bonds!
thanks fallenbelle, the-poster-formally-known-as-tokyobelle 
Forgive me if these subjects have been played out.
