Reader's Journal #14- Violet Lights: A Short Story by Joshua Scribner

#14                             Readers Journal                            11/28/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

            Since this week’s reader’s journal is free choice, I decided to read a short story called Violet Lights: A Short Story by Joshua Scribner. I have already read a short story by this author so I thought it would be interesting to compare them to one another and find out if this author has a motif.

            A passage that stood out to me was:

            “He rolled toward her. ‘Crystal,’ he whispered.

She didn’t respond.

‘Crystal,’ he said, this time louder. 

            She still didn’t respond, which was strange. Crystal usually responded to his voice when he spoke at night. 

            He reached over her to switch on the lamp. Then, when he moved back to his side of the bed, he saw that she was awake, eyes wide open, big round circles, face pale, scared out of her wits. 

            ‘You saw the shadow and the lights?’ Dennis asked.

She nodded her head slightly.

‘Did you feel the child?’ 

She nodded again.”

(Kindle 42% - Location 73 of 199)

I chose this passage because it was the first thing that really sparked my interest. It made me very interested in finishing the book and finding out what happens next. It is significant to the story because it explains that both characters experienced the horrors of the “shadow”.

Before, during, and after reading I used many strategies. Before reading, I noticed that I read another book by this author; so, I read my previous reader’s journal about the other book by this author, Sidewalks: A Short Story, to review what I knew about the author and his style of writing, and to see if I had enjoyed his other book. I also set a purpose for reading. My purpose for reading this book was for my reader’s journal, to compare the two books by this author, and to see if this author has a certain motif. While reading, I took notes on my Kindle. I highlighted all the figurative language, the different characters, and any other literary elements I could find. I also made predictions while reading. I predicted that the main characters, Dennis and Crystal, would somehow defeat the shadow that haunted them and get rid of the mysterious girl that crept up in their bed at night, only when the lights were off, but would disappear the moment the lights would turn on. After reading, I checked to see if my predictions were correct; however, they weren’t.  What really happened was the complete opposite of what I had predicted. Also after reading, I reviewed all my notes and highlights and thought about the strategies I used and the literary elements of this book to write my reader’s journal.

The genre of this book is short story because it focuses on one main conflict and one main plot, it is shorter than a regular novel, and it was read in one sitting. The protagonists were Dennis and Crystal Harkum. They were a married couple that had moved to a new city for a year because Crystal had gotten an internship in that town. They are both round and dynamic because they are described very well and go through characterization. Dennis, in the beginning of the book, trusts everything his wife says; then, towards the end, he wants to leave her because he believes she’s wrong. Crystal, on the other hand, starts off not believing that Dennis had really seen a shadow and a child and believes it’s all stress-related. Then, she actually sees the shadow and the child and feels that she needs to protect the child. The antagonist is the shadow because it haunts Dennis and Crystal. It is round and dynamic because it is described very well and goes through characterization. It starts off just haunting Dennis and Crystal, but by the book, it kills them. The foil character is the child that crept up into Dennis and Crystal’s bed at night. It is flat because all you know about it is that it is small. You are not told if this child is even male or female. This child, however, is dynamic because it goes through characterization. In the beginning of the book it protects Dennis and Crystal from the shadow, but in the end, it leaves them and stops caring for them.

Most of the setting isn’t clearly stated in the book. It takes place in a new town from where the characters lived before the book. The house they lived in can be described by this passage: “He liked the house they were renting. It had two bedrooms, one of which they’d make into an office, and a nice little yard to take care of. It wasn’t luxurious, but it better than the college housing they were used to. “ Although it is not stated, I can infer that the book takes place in modern times. The weather conditions are not stated at all. One social condition is stated in the book: “’A family was murdered in this house ten years ago. A man. A woman. Their little girl.’ ‘My God! Did they catch who did it?’ She shook her head. ‘No. And it wasn’t one of those murder suicides either. They were all cut up pretty good, none of them like a person could do to their self.’”                                    

The plot of this book was very good and it got to the action pretty fast. The exposition was when the author introduced some of the setting and the main characters. The rising action was when Dennis told his wife about the weird shadow he had seen and the mysterious child he had felt. The climax was when Crystal also saw the shadow and felt the child. The falling action was when Dennis and Crystal got into a fight. Also, when Dennis upset the child who was only trying to protect him and his wife from the shadow. The resolution was when the shadow attacks Dennis and Crystal.

The conflict is man vs. supernatural because the antagonist, who is a supernatural character, is against the protagonists. This type of conflict is external. The tone of this book is mysterious and the mood is curious. I am not sure, but I think the theme of this book is ghosts or evil creatures. The author’s motif is writing short stories about ghosts and mysterious topics. There is no moral in this book because no life lesson was taught. The point-of-view is third person limited because the narrator speaks about what he can only see and hear, but knows what one character, Dennis, thinks and feels. The author’s purpose is to entertain readers with a mysterious and exciting short story. Since the point-of-view is third person limited, the author’s perspective is biased to whoever or whatever Dennis does and doesn’t like.

Since this book was a short story I wasn’t able to identify that many figurative language. “Her hands felt as small as a newborns.” This is a simile comparing Crystal’s hands to a newborn’s hands. A hyperbole is “In an instant, the few violet lights coming from the shadow turned into millions.” This exaggerated the amount of lights coming from the shadow.

(#39) Although this was a short story, I wish that the author had given more details to describe the setting and the child because it would’ve been clearer to the readers.

(#44) I couldn’t believe both protagonists were killed by the shadow because I thought that the child would protect them.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this short story. I would recommend it to anyone in the mood for a quick, mysterious, and exciting read. I rate it a 9 out of 10 stars because although it was better than the author’s other book, I would have liked to see a little bit more detail to help me better visualize the story.

Your Student,

                                                                        Bailey Levy 802