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

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СКАЧАТЬ frequent use of flashbacks not only means that the novel has two structures: It also means that events in the past are looked at from two perspectives, those of childhood and adulthood. Major events – such as Silas’s first and only visit to Larry’s home when they were boys – are approached carefully, in stages. When Silas goes to investigate the Ott farm after Larry’s shooting (pp. 85–95) there are brief mentions of his having been there before, and a lengthier description (pp. 87.20–88.10) of Silas’ recollections of that day. This event is seen later, in greater detail and with more emotional reflection, from the boys’ perspectives.

      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 СКАЧАТЬ