New Orleans Noir

On page 67, a mysterious scene is set up, "A negro boy who was standing watch opened the door for Valentin, who tossed him a nickel and stepped over the threshold. Two working men leaned their elbows on the near of the bar. Valentin stepped up and asked for Mr. Roy. The bartender, a tall and lank Mulatto, pointed a finger towards the back of the room..." This passage sounds like it's straight out of a movie. A dusty saloon, waiting for danger to show up. Cigar smoke and the smell of men's musk and whiskey in the air. You have to be a certain kind of person to go into a bar like this. It's laid back but you don't want to go in if you don't fit that persona. Later, the character McTier is being described. He's calm, cool, and collected. He walks by, takes care of his business and never looks back. The look in the girls eyes seem to say "i can't believe i just watched him kill someone". She holds her breath as McTier walks by, The girl seems to see an attractive danger about him. Its as if he claps his hands to get rid of the dirt and sin he committed and walks away without ever looking back. She makes eye contact with him and smirks at him. He doesnt even notice her, he just walks right on by. This most likely makes her want him more.

Black Maria

On page 74, the "Femme Fatale" is describing Delilah. "I make men get religion when i strut by- Lordy they say, my my- their eyes on mine to meet or not. I turn mouths to water..." Delilah is always the one in control. Her beauty is so striking that men can't help but stop dead in their tracks and drool over her. Her beauty is her secret weapon. Men are so intoxicated by her that they will do anything she wants or says. These men are completely oblivious to any of her foul play that she is pulling on them. Although, she never wants any kind of attachment. She just uses the men for whatever she may need at any certain time. Whether it's sex, information on someone, or money, she gets what she wants. After she gets what she wants she basically kicks them to the curb. When she walks by, you can sense her dangerous ways as well as her femininity which draws men in. She is mysterious which makes the men crave her, and it works out well in her advantage...She gets whatever she wants and uses it to her advantage.

Black Maria

On Page 116 is "The Interrogation". The interrogation room is dramatically described. The simple light bulb hanging above the table is compared to a pendulum---swinging back and forth. Is he a good cop or bad cop? There is a cuckoo clock that is referenced which symbolizes the idea of death. That life keeps ticking on, and it is unstoppable. The purpose of the good cop vs. the bad cop is so that the bad cop can intimidate who is being interrogated and the good cop gives sympathy so they can retrieve information on the case. At this point in the interrogation it doesn't matter what the truth is. They are going to beat him and verbally torture him untill they hear what they want. "Above me the bulb bursts". This is symbolic of him getting knocked out. In all official confessions, the one being interrogated is supposed to write their own confession at the end, but the cops write it for him and make him sign it. Who can we trust if we can't trust our law enforcers?

Lady In The Lake

The painting on page 212 is being described. Just by reading the first sentence you can tell that he is pretty drunk. He starts to describe the painting, and he does a pretty good job for being intoxicated. It seems for the first time in the novel that water is being described in a positive way. It's the ocean, there is sun, and girls in bathing suits--a vision of all bright colors. He even says the bay in the distance is bluer than any bay he's ever seen. He also keeps describing the painting in 3's. There are three girls in the painting, each with an umbrella, and 3 ranges of hills in the background. I believe that the three girls with umbrellas are significant to the murders. All murders were cover ups, somehow related to water. The first murder was drowned and given another identity. The second was overdosed by Mildred, the cover up was by her husband who made it look like she inhaled CO2 from the car. The third was Mildred who was strangled. All three of these murders were covered up, which is symbolic of the umbrellas, which seem to be more like parasols which is even more symbolic. Parasols are thin and don't really cover the sun, like the murders, the cover ups were not enough. The three hills are also significant to the murders, they each stand for the different murders, the mounds are like graves. Also, although the painting has negative connotation behind it, it is the first time that water is being described in a positive way, when it isn't real.

The Lady in the Lake

On page 115, a murder scene is vividly being described. The way the author describes the scene is very interesting. He gives examples of events that may or may not of happened. It is described in perfect detail, from the bathroom window to the rings that hold up the shower curtain. I found it strange that the blood had "been washed away" did the actual murderer do this? I don't understand the point of washing away the blood if the body is laying there with a bullet through his chest. The detective found a hankercheif with initials "A.F." on it, when the first dead body was found in the lake, she was wearing an initialed necklace as well. The hankercheif appears multiple times which leads me to believe it is a prevalent clue. What is strange is that the dead bodies are found in water, and both of them have been cleaned in some sort of way. This is ironic since water is generally seen as a cleansing force. When the body was found in the lake, her eyes were swollen shut. With the body found in the bathroom, his eyes are wide open. The author refers to the reader as "you" which helps me make more sense of the situation and put myself there.

the quote that stood out the most to me was:
"I felt my neck creak a little as i bent down. He was there allright- there wasnt anywhere else for him to be. He was huddled in the corner under two shining faucets, and water dripped slowly from his chest, from the chromium showerhead"

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