42 pages • 1 hour read
Lois DuncanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Mr. Griffin’s college ring is used a symbol in the latter part of the novel. Dave steals Mr. Griffin’s college ring before burying him, literally prying the ring off cold, dead hands. This is a symbolic violation: Mr. Griffin is not only dead, but his belongings are taken away from him, desecrating his body. The impulse to steal the ring is symbolic of Dave’s poor coping mechanisms with the abandonment of his father. The ring is a symbol that makes Dave feel closer to his father, but it is also a fallacy that the ring brings Dave in proximity to his father. The ring is also used as an object that propels the narrative. By stealing and keeping the ring, Dave makes himself susceptible to being found, which is what leads Mark to murdering Dave’s grandmother for the ring.
A motif in this novel is exteriority versus interiority. Many characters nurture a juxtaposition between their outer appearance and their inner truth. On the outside, Susan is awkward, unattractive, and nerdy, but these physical qualities belie her intelligence and good moral code.
By Lois Duncan
Don't Look Behind You
Don't Look Behind You
Lois Duncan
Down a Dark Hall
Down a Dark Hall
Lois Duncan
Gallows Hill
Gallows Hill
Lois Duncan
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Lois Duncan
Locked in Time
Locked in Time
Lois Duncan
Stranger With My Face
Stranger With My Face
Lois Duncan
Who Killed My Daughter
Who Killed My Daughter
Lois Duncan
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