Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter von Tom Franklin. Königs Erläuterungen Spezial.

We see events from one chronological perspective – adult or child – and then from another. This is significant, because many of the greatest conflicts in the novel – in particular the guilt Larry feels for having called Silas “n****r” and the guilt Silas feels for having betrayed Larry by not speaking up about Cindy Walker – are hidden in the past, but have enormous consequences throughout the two men’s lives. One target the novel moves towards is the possible reconciliation between Larry and Silas, which requires both of them to re-evaluate events from 25 years ago, to reflect on the feelings and impressions from the time and to consider their changed circumstances and the different perspectives they now have as adults.

An example of how the two time frames interact

As an example of how the two time frames interact, we can look at the end of Chapter 4, the content of Chapter 5 and the beginning of Chapter 6. Chapter 4 is set in the present day and ends with Silas in his own home, having returned from investigating the crime scene at Larry’s home. Two things are important here at the end of the chapter. Most obviously significant is the message from Larry on Silas’ answer machine, a phone call made before he was shot. The second is less explicit but equally important: “In the closet, behind his two extra uniforms, where he wouldn’t have to look at it, was the Marlin lever-action .22 rifle.” (p. 96.21–23)

The chapter which follows is about the significance of this small detail. It describes the events leading up to the scene where Carl Ott forces Larry and Silas to fight for possession of the gun, the .22 Marlin. While it is Silas’ memory which is triggered in the present, we see this episode from the past from Larry’s perspective. The scene is of central importance for the entire book and for many of the themes – brothers, fathers and friends; guilt; race – and it is the single most important event in the course of Larry and Silas’ relationship. The chapter from the past is therefore introduced and given context by a guilty memory of Silas’ in the present day. This detour into the past is touched on again at the beginning of the next chapter when Silas acknowledges to himself that he used the event – Larry calling him “n****r” – as an excuse to avoid him (p. 121.11–13). The rifle also makes another appearance (p. 125.8–10). What we as readers don’t know yet is that this level of guilt and anger covers a much deeper and much more damaging guilt – Silas’ guilt at never having spoken up to save Larry from the suspicions surrounding Cindy Walker’s disappearance.

Symmetries

A fundamental organisational structure of the novel involves contrasting symmetries. This can be seen most significantly in the mirrored events of 1982 and the present day – the disappearances of local girls – and in the two central characters, brothers who are diametric opposites.

There are numerous other examples of symmetries throughout the book. One significant example is the way that Larry and Wallace both wear the zombie mask to scare one another. Larry uses it to frighten young Wallace when he is trespassing (pp. 195–6) and Wallace wears it when he ambushes and shoots Larry (p. 23).

LARRY SILAS White Black Shy and lonely Gregarious and popular Avid reader Not a reader Neither talented at or interested in sports Gifted athlete, especially baseball Single In a relationship Teetotal Likes to drink Country boy, knowledge of nature City kid, knows nothing about wildlife Raised by both parents Single mother, father unknown “Where Larry’s only visitors had been law enforcement officials … … Silas had a stream.” (306.1–2)

As the two characters who flank Larry, Silas and Wallace are also related in a contrasting symmetry. Both are Larry’s friends. One white, one black, one a half-brother, the other a strange kind of symbolic shadow brother, Wallace and Silas embody the themes and ideas of the novel in their oppositional symmetry.

SILAS WALLACE Black White Gregarious and popular Creepy and disliked Single mother, father unknown Single mother, father unknown Destroys Larry’s life by concealing the truth about the night Cindy Walker disappeared. Destroys Larry’s life by framing him for the murder of Tina Rutherford and shooting him. Returns often to Larry’s home after the shooting – to investigate and to keep an eye on the place Keeps returning to Larry’s home after having shot him (see 289.5–16)

The two missing girls, Cindy and Tina, also embody certain themes and ideas within the novel.

CINDY WALKER TINA RUTHERFORD Disappears, presumed murdered. Disappears, presumed murdered. Body never found – presumed murdered, but the killer is never officially identified. Body discovered and murderer identified and killed. Poor, considered “white trash”. Wants to leave school with Silas. Privileged daughter of the region’s most prominent and wealthy family. Attends university. Fully characterised in the novel. We meet her, see her interact with different characters and hear her speak. As a character, Cindy is as real to the reader as Silas or Larry. Nothing but a name and a corpse. We never meet Tina nor ever hear her voice. She is missing and presumed dead from the beginning. Despite being the central focus of the crime thriller-plot of the novel (see the opening sentence) Tina is never “real” as a character.

Two central characters

Larry and Silas are the central characters of the novel. They both tell the story from their own perspective, narrating the past as well as the present. While Larry is the central figure in the novel, Silas is the more active agent: He investigates the crimes, he becomes increasingly drawn into Larry’s world, and, as the plot unfolds, we learn that he is also deeply involved in the issue of how Larry became what and who he is in the present. What also emerges is that these two central characters are in fact brothers.

The majority of the present day level of the novel is told from Silas’ perspective, not least because Larry spends most of the period in question – roughly two weeks from the shooting to the end of the novel – in a coma. In contrast, Chapters 5 and 7, describing the friendship between the boys and the fight over the gun (5) and the events surrounding the disappearance of Cindy Walker (7) are told from Larrys perspective. This is significant because it reinforces the impression we have of Larry as someone who is a prisoner of the past, someone who has been unable to break away from those events and who has been defined by them. Silas is a more active agent in the present day: He investigates, he interacts with people, he moves around. Larry is literally frozen in time – in a coma – for most of the present day narrative of the novel.

Suspense and foreshadowing

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.