Danger Word and the Gothic

     While reading Danger Word, it was fascinating how many of the aspects of the story followed features common to Gothic literature. From the very beginning of the story, we are steeped in images of nature. Kendrick and Joe are in a cabin made of wood. The rooms smell strongly of cedar, and Grandpa Joe hunts deer and turns the meat into jerky. Even in the ending, we see Kendrick fleeing into the woods off the road, and as the story comes to a close, we see Kendrick trying to hide, staring at the spider clinging to his hand, its body swollen with eggs. All of these moments are written as though exulting in nature, celebrating its influence in our lives. As well, the story is constantly playing with family, a feature also common to Gothic literature. Grandpa Joe kills his own daughter and in the end, tries to kill Kendrick, demonstrating the ways in which the Gothic twists family relationships into ones of pain, death, and danger. In these ways, Danger Word exhibits a powerful connection to the Gothic.