In the Middle of the Night

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Robert Cormier's psychological thriller In the Middle of the Night takes us on a mysterious journey of revenge; he explores the minds of characters with monstrous thoughts. Orphaned children Lulu and her young brother David were severely injured at a magic show in the Globe Theater on Halloween night when a balcony collapsed upon them. Although Lulu was revived, she dies a spiritual death. She now dedicates her life to revenge on John Paul, the usher who she believes caused the accident of her death. The story shows us that all humans are capable of monstrous behavior. Lulu is monstrous in her revenge. Since the incident her mind was fixed on revenge against John Paul who, she believes, caused her death experience. David says “She finally looked me straight in the eye. I’m not Lazarus, she said”(48). She did not want to admit that her mind had left when the balcony collapsed because she did not experience the death she was expecting. Lulu’s mind went blank; she didn’t experience the heaven she wanted to. When the balcony fell, David saw Lulu’s face frozen. He describes, “Those blank eyes, frozen in her face, and the smear of blood across her cheek” (43). That’s when David knew that Lulu had died he wanted to know everything, he wanted to know what had happened when her heart stop beating. He waited for her in the rehabilitation center to ask how it was like when she died. Lulu realized while she was dead, there wasn’t a heaven nor hell and began to lose faith in what she believed in. Her mind grew dark and was filled with evil. She had eventually developed her plan of revenge. Lulu takes action by making mysterious phone calls, haunting John Paul and his family. She would call his home every year around the anniversary of her... ... middle of paper ... ...y’s misery. “Is that you Denny? I hope it’s you. I can hear you breathing” (pg.127) Lulu is attracting Denny’s attention based purely on revenge, bringing him into her plot of destroying his father’s spirit. “See? I think we were meant for each other, Denny. Now, what else?” (pg147.) Denny can’t help but think of his mystery lady, what she can do for him. He gets trapped in his fantasies about her. The way she attempts to subdue him leaves him wanting more. Denny is monstrous in his lust. In Conclusion, Lulu’s revenge, John Paul’s guilt, and Denny’s lust represents monstrous behavior. This story shows us that all humans are capable of monstrous behavior. Robert Cormier shares the perspective of a killer. Its take us on a journey through the characters’ eyes and shows us that even the innocent can be dangerous and how one event can negatively impact a person’s life.

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