I’ve looked over several posts about Red Dragon made here over the years and I didn’t see anyone talking about the things that jumped out at me personally. Apologies to anyone who’s seen too much from this book in general.
The book seems filled with not only terrible people but also that we are surrounded by monster. At least that’s how they come across to me.
There’s a part early on where Will over hears two guys talking about a woman they are viewing from a balcony. One comments on how he’d really give it to her and the other makes a joke about how the only reason women have legs is so they don’t leave a snails trail on the ground. Later on Dolarhyde speaks about something very similar, he doesn’t say snail, I think it’s a slug, but again it’s about leaving a trail. I can’t say anything specific about that other than it was VERY interesting to me.
Another is the nurse in the hospital that feeds Dolarhyde as a baby. She does what on the surface is a very compassionate act, but just before doing so says that God has not told her to kill this baby. I got the impression that sometimes God did tell her to kill certain babies.
Some things that Reba said and did also struck me. At one point she mentions how people think that she or blind or otherwise disabled people are pure minded. Nothing more on those thoughts from her, but then later on at the gas station Reba does not know that the attendant has been looking up her dress and only hears Dolarhyde having a very threatening conversation with him. She chimes in a very encouraging way. I don’t think Reba is a monster or even a terrible person really, but both of those moments really stood out to me.
A line from Molly on the phone speaking to Will. ” Stick it in as far as it will go.” The book taking so many opportunities to say and show how Will has the mind of a serial killer left me with the image of a knife going as far as it could go.
When Dolarhyde and Reba are having sex. ” …so sweeeeeeet”. This is why the Red Dragon wanted Reba dead. The Red Dragon thinks that people should be honored to be “altered” and be a part of his “becoming”, but they aren’t. Dolarhyde stabs her with his penis and she loves it. He gets to experience what the Dragon wants but hasn’t had.
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts about passages that stood out to you. So many of the posts were just comparisons to the movies or how the books changed over time. Having started it at 6am yesterday and finished at around 7pm the same day I’m currently filled with it and I don’t know anyone personally who has read it.
by jimmytickles