Sharp Objects as Southern Gothic for the Twenty-First Century: A Novel Analysis
Sharp Objects is a novel by Gillian Flynn set in rural Wind Gap, Missouri. It is a crime drama that explores the psychological implications of an investigative journalist returning to her hometown. The story centers on the murders of two young girls and the unattractive past the journalist has left behind.
The novel is quintessentially Southern Gothic and nods to prior literary works. It explores the claustrophobia of small towns, disintegrating relationships, and outdated norms. It also touches on the reluctance to confront one’s past, which are all Southern tropes that have been explored in famous works of the genre such as To Kill a Mockingbird and A Rose for Emily.
However, Sharp Objects is not a conventional and genre-conforming novel. It depicts factors of plot and style that are traditionally associated with the nineteenth-century Southern Gothic literary genre and the relevant time period in a modern context. This contemporizes and reintroduces the genre for relevance in the 21st century. These factors are amplified by motifs and structured through the concept of doubles and repetition, the prevalence of a fear of the outsider, and the recurring trope of deceptive appearances.
In Sharp Objects, the Southern Gothic factor of the double is repeatedly portrayed through characters and events. The novel uses the striking similarities between the two young girls, Ann Nash and Natalie Keene, whose murders bring the main character, Camille, back to Wind Gap. The girls are of a similar age, possess the same unique characteristics, and both had their teeth removed by the killer. The strong portrayal of this doubles factor is further amplified by the recurrent motif of biting, which serves as subtle foreshadowing to the instance where Meredith, Natalie’s older brother’s girlfriend, reveals that both girls had a history of biting.
This revelation illustrates an unmistakable example of behavioural duality between the girls and the employment of the biting motif provides an explanation for the peculiar way in which they were both murdered. As described by Ann’s and Natalie’s family members, both girls had a history of exhibiting violent behaviours that contradicted the strict gender norms of Wind Gap. This is symbolic of the consequences of defying those norms and the removal of their teeth by the killer illustrates that the peculiar way in which the girls were murdered was a result of their unfeminine behaviours.
Aside from the symbolic representation of the double in Ann and Natalie’s life and death, a similarly modernized, albeit simpler, depiction can be found in Camille’s familial relationships. For instance, due to the troubled relationship that Camille has with her mother, Adora, she is initially displeased by the resemblance to Adora that her thirteen-year-old half-sister, Amma, bears. This is later revealed to be a critical example of mother-and-daughter duality and is appropriately amplified by Flynn through the motif of dolls. Ultimately, as Adora is arrested on three counts of murder, for intentionally poisoning her second daughter, Marian, with harmful medication, and strangling Ann and Natalie, Camille discovers that it was, in fact, Amma who murdered the two girls. This discovery brings the duality of Adora and Amma’s mental illness and therefore the ability to murder, as represented by the doll motif, to the reader’s attention; later, such a duality is hinted to be prevalent in Camille, as well.
The fear of the outsider is a common theme in nineteenth-century Southern Gothic literature, mainly due to the divisiveness between northerners and southerners prior to the U.S. Civil War. In Sharp Objects, the novel uses a similar portrayal of fear of outsiders, which is sparked by the murders of two girls. This is particularly evident in the way that Wind Gap’s chief of police, Bill Vickery, addresses the main character, Camille, with suspicion and distrust and is highly reluctant to disclose information pertaining to the case. The novel uses the motif of cigarettes to illustrate this, as Vickery’s lighting a cigarette is a repetitive action that is only seen when Camille asks him questions pertaining to the case, signaling that discussing matters of the town with an outsider causes him stress.
Similarly, when Camille reveals the details of her investigative assignment to her mother, Adora, she is visibly stressed by the idea of outsiders being made privy to the affairs of Wind Gap. The novel uses the motif of eyelashes to amplify this, as Adora’s tendency to pull out her eyelashes whenever piqued is a clear depiction of a fear of the outsider. In both Vickery and Adora’s responses, it is portrayed that attending to or discussing the topic of outsiders is a stress trigger, and such is strengthened by motifs that serve to manage and relieve said stress; thus, both cases are a clear portrayal of a fear of the outsider, modernized by the reason for which it exists.
Aside from characters’ actions and reactions serving as strong portrayals of the fear of the outsider, it can also be seen in the less subtle verbal pronouncements of the residents of Wind Gap. This is particularly evident during Natalie Keene’s funeral, in which a group of fathers expresses a fear of the outsider in that they suspect that the murderer is a non-resident. The novel uses the motif of guns to illustrate this, as the residents of Wind Gap purchased them in mass quantities upon Natalie’s murder. This fear of the outsider is a modernized portrayal of a common theme in Southern Gothic literature, which shows how it still exists in contemporary society.
The deceptive appearances trope is a common theme in traditional Southern Gothic literature, which contrasts the outward appearances of politeness, religious devotion, and conventionality with the inner realities of meanness of spirit and egotism. In Sharp Objects, this Southern Gothic factor is portrayed in various contexts and amplified by well-chosen motifs.
One example of this is the covert abuse in Adora’s relationship with Camille, as seen in their argument while Adora tends to her rose garden. Adora uses emotional blackmail to bully Camille into compliance, a form of invisible abuse that exists entirely in the unseen connotations of a seemingly innocuous action. This is a clear portrayal of the Southern Gothic factor of appearances versus reality, amplified by the rose motif, which serves as a metaphor for the portrayal itself, being a flower that appears harmless but, in reality, is sharp and injuring. This representation of covert abuse is faithful to the conventions of the genre, but it is also unprecedented in that Camille is clearly aware of her mother’s actions being intentional and abusive, reflecting an increased level of societal awareness of covert abuse in the 21st century.
Another example of this trope can be seen in the topic of exploitation. Adora’s affluence is shown to be due to lucrative animal abuse, a representation of the trope of one person benefiting from the suffering inflicted upon others. This demonstrates the Southern Gothic factor of appearances versus reality; while Adora’s home is picturesque and admired, there is an unseen undertone of darkness in the animal abuse allowing that beauty to exist. This depiction can be understood by applying historical criticism and new historicism literary criticism, which reveals a parallel between the beautiful plantations of the 19th century, existing only due to the unseen exploitation of slaves, and Adora’s beautiful mansion, existing only due to the unseen exploitation of animals.
Additionally, pertaining to the trope of unseen darkness beneath facades of beauty, a portrayal of appearances versus reality can also be seen in Adora’s false politeness towards Camille, as represented by the motif of sugar. Throughout the novel, Adora is described as using sugar as a way to hide her true emotions and intentions, exemplifying the deceptive appearances trope. This modernized portrayal of the trope is reflective of the societal awareness of the manipulation of language and actions to conceal true intentions, a prevalent issue in contemporary society.
Gillian Flynn masterfully portrays the deceptive appearances trope in Sharp Objects by using various motifs and contexts that are consistent with the conventions of the Southern Gothic genre, while also contemporizing it to reflect the societal issues of modernity.
Sharp Objects is a contemporary novel that modernizes and reintroduces the Southern Gothic genre for relevance in the 21st century. The novel achieves this by depicting factors of plot and style traditionally associated with the genre in a modern context, while also demonstrating an awareness of the historical significance of these factors. Throughout the novel, there are numerous depictions of dualities, fear of the outsider, and deceptive appearances, which are strengthened by well-chosen motifs. These motifs, such as roses, sugar, and dolls, demonstrate a sense of femininity and reflect the primarily female-driven plot of the novel. This is a unique aspect of Sharp Objects and sets it apart from traditional works of the genre. With its melding of genre factors and motifs, Sharp Objects creates a novel that is a thoroughly enticing work of contemporary Southern Gothic literature.