1.

Rhetorical devices that reveal his monstrous qualities and conflict with his
redeeming qualities
a. Told in the monsters POV
i. We discover his thoughts, his rationale, his own explanations
ii. They are honest, but they are also horrifying
iii. We experience conflicting emotions of how to think of the narrator
because we are taught to value honesty, regardless of the content
sometimes
Through a multitude of rhetorical strategies, Gaitskills short story
Through devices such as the storys point of view, its plot structure, and the
contrast between the narrators tone of speech and its literal essence, Gaitskills
short story further confuses the ability of the audience to receive the narrator as
a true monster.
She entertains and instills on the basis of the question, how we distinguish
what is okay and what is not okay faced until they commit the acts they become
known for. The problem might be intrinsic in our language. Its risky because our
humanistic inclination
Espoused by as he argies specific criteria of the conventions of horror
Dark nights collections of essays
Misinterpreting the situation
This is a metaphor for how we dont wan tto see whats right in front of us
Its inconclusive he is defeated because he is confronted the unexpected;
expectations are subverted
Lower our guard
Qualities honesty, he loves his son, he has a job
This becomes a metaphor that extends to the cultural issue that our society
faces
demanding the audience to regard
An example lies in the
b. Reflective narrative, vignette structure
i. uncover the narrators monstrosity, layer after layer while
simultaneously humanizing him, we are both mortified and grasping
at straws to rationalize, justify, and sympathize
ii. Acts as a mirror of the way we get to know other humans, one story
at a time we treat the narrator the same way we would a friend
and the way society tells us to do, withhold judgment, although in
the midst of telltale signs of monstrosity

c.

Tone vs Content conflict between his normal, blas, detached,

conversational tone and the content of his shocking inner thoughts
i. Creates unsettling tension, suspense, and confusion for the
audience, we realize he has monstrous qualities when he fails to
truly grasp the gravity of his statements
ii. Societally we assume he is mentally deranged rather than assigning
to him the term monster and we continue to withhold judgment
even when the signs are slapping us in the face
d. This conflict results in time wasted, indecisiveness, and then its too late

2. This indecisiveness also poses an issue in our modern society

Elliot Rodger therapist and family members and classmates dont act upon the
triggers (his manifesto, his youtube videos) he kills people
3. Therefore, societally ingrained value is ineffective and we need a new form of
action which is to embrace our evolutionary instinct to categorize and
analyze, our gut instinct
a. Arguments against it
i. This enables other social issues such as racism, unfair stereotypes,
inequality, the cons outweigh the pros
b. Rebuttal for arguments
Evidence that it will be successful (measure of success = survival)
1. Its ingrained in us evolutionary
ii. The benefits of using this
iii. Why it is not popular
Its a complicated question but should not be stopped asking
Have the same goal but be flexible in approach
Ted bundy luring women, Gaitskill luring us
Our reaction to the protagonist to sympathize Runs counter to the
implications of his words
Ted bundy able to hide, had friends, smart, educated, difficult to identify,
romantic pretenses
Disjunction, inclination o understand versus what we should interpret it,
cognitifive dissonance to us, common social setting; language fails in this situation,
interpretive barrier between what he is saying and how we receive it