Rick Moody Demonology Summary

The pressure of making a living in today’s world detaches some workers from the enjoyment of the little things in life. The days start to repeat themselves and there is no excitement or joy in it all, and the stress piles up until the body can not handle it anymore. In Rick Moody’s “Demonology,” the narrator sees the changes of his sister’s physical and mental state from constantly being busy to support her family but never expects her sudden death. There is no way for the narrator to be prepare for this, and his emotions are over the place. It is hard to realize when someone is falling into the working stereotype and the effects it has on close ones. However, Moody’s characterization of Meredith and style allows a look into the struggles of

a daily routine in a capitalist society and the confusion and anger that comes when there is no hope for change.
As the story begins, the narrator speaks of the trick-or-treating as an everyday thing, as if it’s repetition.

He describes the parents’ conversations as “bantering” while also referring to “the difficulties of long marriages” (291). With Meredith being divorced in the story, the narrator views marriages as an agreement that is hard to keep with most people not lasting for long which Meredith fits into that stereotype (293). The narrator gives an account of his sister’s days with “ this part is routine, my sister was tired as hell, she slept the sleep of the besieged, of the overworked..” (294). Moody makes Meredith out to be an overworked single mom who, while still loves her family, dislikes the everyday routine but has no choice but to comply. She is now stuck in a rut and her situation relates to others in the same position as her. She goes through life traveling the same route and working at the same job for years

(299).
The author includes Meredith’s routine with Pointdexter which she does first everyday before tending to the rest of her duties (296). The struggle to raise two children and support her injured boyfriend is taking a toll on her energy, and she needs other ways to escape besides the coffee.Meredith realizes her love for photos and using other people’s photos can create a better picture of her life than what it really is (296). Meredith also drinks which is no surprise given that the narrator says “ she taught me how to do it, too, when we were kids; she taught me how to drink” (293). Reality can become overwhelming for some and the people who do crumble under the pressure can resort to lying about their actually life or drinking. Corporate society may not care about the personal well-being of workers, however, workers know they need to take care of their families even it it means they must work themselves to death. They will find any way to cope with their problems to get work done, and Meredith’s life shows that. She is officially now another number in the capitalist society, and Moody, through Meredith, expresses his views towards this depressing lifestyle.
With Meredith’s routinely but short life, the narrator gets into a new state of mind.

This gives the author opportunity to use his writing to give personal insight to the situation. Moody gives a first person narrative of a person’s mind when going through a highly unexpected change in their life through the narrator. The story starts sporadically going from present day Halloween to past memories of the narrator with his sister. Moody adds sentences fragments such as “Jokes with the fillip of sentimentality. Anyway, in this picture her blond hair...” (294). The fragments that constantly appears gives the narrator a complex mindset, and the narrator gets off topic throughout the story. After a recent death or just any major change in life, the thoughts of the mind are running trying to make sense of the situation. His mind creates confusion in the story, but this is what the author wants to portray through the

narrator.
Moody describes every little detail throughout the constant changes of memories which allow insight to how the narrator reflects on Meredith’s past and the anger the narrator feels for the overall shortness of her life. Moody chooses not to give her actual name until near the end which the narrator states, “ I should make Meredith’s death shapely and persuasive, not blunt and disjunctive, I shouldn't have to think the unthinkable, I shouldn't have to suffer...” (306). The narrator wishes there was a more extravagant way to describe her story, but he knows it will be far from the truth. He does not sugar coat her story nor her death, and in actual life, people can not justify an unexpected tragedy (306). The death is so sudden that there is no time to create a perfect scenario.
There is no set way to accept reality as it truly is. People continue to go through routine after routine until a change, whether good or bad, finally changes their outlook on society. Rick Moody takes readers through the underlying truth behind reality and the confusing pain of keeping up in society. There is no way to prepare for an untimely death; the mind can not comprehend as quick as the pace of the situation. Who knows where Meredith and the narrator would be if she decided to brake away from that particular life. Is all the stress worth it in the end?