Dead End Drive

Date

2016-06-16

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa

Abstract

Dead End Drive examines the human condition through the persuasive tools of desire, greed, and desperation. The main character, Kelly, discovers that some people are willing to trade anything if it means exalting themselves and that some find a particular pleasure in watching others suffer while they gain. The novel uses comedy to demoralize readers and reduce the severity of the murder that takes place in the story. By removing the criminality of the actions, the narrator questions the reader’s morality and draws them into a sense of normalcy and madness. It thrusts readers into a position where martyring others is not only seen as ordinary, but it’s turned into a playful sport. The setting also plays a major role in establishing the major theme of the novel: In order to move forward, something must be lost. Dead End Drive takes place in a Louisiana plantation placed built on a swamp that devours the surrounding life in order to thrive.

Description

Keywords

Novel, Morality, Comedy, Louisiana

Citation

DOI

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