47 pages • 1 hour read
Tom FranklinCrooked Letter, Crooked Letter
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Chicken Coop
In the first introduction to Larry in Chapter 1, Larry details an intricate portable chicken coop he has constructed with lawn mower wheels, a detachable fence, and a tractor pull. Larry wants to allow the chickens to roam free, since he “always felt bad that the hens always lived their lives in the same tiny patch” (2). The portable cage allows Larry to transport the chickens to different parts of the property and let them roam and eat to their hearts’ content, without the danger of losing them or allowing them to get attacked by a predator. Larry’s concern and care for his chickens gives insight to his gentle nature, casting doubt onto his reputation as the town monster who abducts teenage girls. This project also gives insight into Larry’s internal sadness, since he, like the chickens, has been contained to one small area for his entire life. Because of his reputation, Larry never went to college, never got married, and never made friends. Instead, Larry lives out his life in his parents’ house, relying on mail-order books to bring a little bit of the outside world to him. Unlike the chickens, Larry remains trapped.
The Zombie Mask
Larry’s zombie mask makes several appearances in the novel. In Chapter 1, Wallace wears the mask to shoot Larry in the kitchen, disguising his identity. In Chapter 9, Larry recalls that he once wore the mask to scare off Wallace as a boy when he kept breaking into Larry’s barn. In Chapter 8, Silas remembers that Larry wore the mask to school one day and received more attention than usual. Popular kids invited Larry to wear the mask that night to a haunted house, where Larry wore it in one of the rooms. Afterward, Larry thought he had gained some acceptance from his peers and tried to join them in the parking lot, but the kids ignored Larry until finally, ashamed, he left.
Larry has a reputation in Chabot for being a monster, having been accused of a crime he did not commit. People call him “Scary Larry” and shun him, forcing him to live a lonely life. However, the zombie mask symbolizes the fact that appearances can be deceiving. When Larry wears the mask, he might look monstrous, but his motivations are kind. Larry scares Wallace as a boy so he won’t get hurt playing in the barn, and he attends the haunted house in the hopes of befriending the other kids. In both cases, the actions of the people not wearing masks prove to be more monstrous. Wallace goes on to develop an unhealthy fixation with Larry, frame him for murder, and shoot him in the chest; the school kids at the haunted house return Larry’s kindness by playing a mean prank on him and laughing at his expense. On the surface, Larry might seem like a monster because of his strange behavior and habits, but he is a kind, decent man who has been misunderstood and mistreated by the people around him.
Stephen King Novels
An avid reader, Larry shows affinity for Stephen King novels and shares some of his favorite stories with Silas. This interaction has a few meanings. Stephen King is generally known as a horror writer. Larry’s love of horror, bloodshed, and murder contribute to his reputation for being odd, making him into a social outcast before he was accused of murdering Cindy. In addition, the way that Larry and Silas share these stories indicates their different characters and upbringings. Larry reads avidly, while Silas prefers Larry to tell him the stories out loud, since he feels like he does enough reading in school. Though Larry enjoys outdoor pursuits like hunting and fishing, he prefers to read over everything else, a trait that Carl indicates makes him a sissy. Carl would prefer for Larry to be more like Silas: athletic, social, and willing to fight and not just take a beating. Like Carl, Silas prefers to share stories out loud, one of the early clues in the novel that Silas and Carl might be related. Larry’s reading makes him an outsider as a young boy, but as an adult, reading is one of the few outlets that still connect him to the outside world. With no friends or social engagements, Larry relies on his monthly book club orders to help him not feel so isolated.
