What have I found interesting in my studies of Crime stories Essay Example

Usual Suspect explores various criminals from diverse backgrounds and personalities, one character known as 'Verbal' narrates the story. Despite being disabled, Verbal is revealed to be the mastermind behind the crimes depicted in the film, which features characters of varying intelligence, nationality (including a British man with a strong accent) and ethnicity (including Hispanic individuals).

The reason why it's difficult for us to accept that Verbal is the criminal mastermind is due to how his character evolves throughout the film. Initially, he's portrayed as handicapped and unremarkable, but this changes as the story progresses. As the narrator recalling events, we see him being interrogated by a detective in the present day. However, this only becomes a persistent aspect later on in the film. Despite seeming less intelligent, Verbal is actually very calm and controlled during the interrogation. He's skilled at avoiding the subject at hand and is more cunning than we initially perceived. As we approach the end of the film, Verbal becomes increasingly violent and aggressive. This reveals his true persona as Keyser Soze, which gives us an impression of him being unstable, unpredictable, and insecure. For instance, during his interrogation, Verbal avoids answering why he didn't help Keaton, appearing uneasy and perhaps showing signs of guilt. Later on in the film, he even breaks down in tears.

The Lord of The Flies and 'The usual suspects' depict criminals with distinct personalities and diverse backgrounds. However, the former shows a significant transformation in behaviour, especially in the character of Jack. Initially, the children were aimless, but as time passed, a fierce power struggle ensued between Jack and Ralph for control over the island and its

inhabitants.

Jack is depicted as a ruthless and violent character throughout the story, exhibiting a fascination with knives from a young age when he angrily plunged one into a tree trunk. He also displayed a desire for control early on, eventually forming his own group to rival Ralph's. Jack's aggressive and domineering personality scares the other children, who are hesitant to argue with him. This is exemplified by the fact that when Jack speaks without the conch, which represents order, no one objects.

The transformation of seemingly innocent children into merciless and ruthless individuals by Golding subverts the notion of "innocent children" and introduces a more sinister tone. The story reveals Jack's affinity for knives, which may have remained hidden had he not been thrust into that situation. Plot structures vary greatly among the stories analyzed, with both "The Tell Tale Heart" and "The Usual Suspects" featuring criminal narrators, providing a fascinating perspective.

In 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe, the main character is portrayed as intelligent and swift-witted through his rapid internal dialogue. Throughout the short story, there is a gradual progression towards the killing of an elderly man who possesses an eerie eye that potentially drives the protagonist insane. The eye persistently haunts and tortures him until he murders the victim. At first, the narrative primarily concentrates on developing the character's personality and providing elaborate depictions of both the old man and his disturbing eye.

Initially, the text describes a brief overview of the protagonist's night-by-night account leading up to the murder. Following the act, he hides the body by placing it between the scantlings after removing three planks from the flooring of the

chamber. Soon after, police arrive at his door while being oblivious to the recent events. As their presence becomes more imposing, he becomes increasingly agitated and his behavior becomes erratic and unpredictable. Eventually, he surrenders himself to authorities. Unlike other literary examples where criminals successfully evade punishment, this story ends with the offender being caught and facing consequences.

Within the story 'Landlady', an atypical female criminal is characterized as being 'terribly nice'. The narrative unravels gradually from the moment the male protagonist enters the hostel, with the woman appearing amicable and engaging in conversation with him. However, as the story progresses and the young man peruses her logbook, he notes that only two names appear, which are strikingly familiar to him. One of these individuals may have been killed, but when the protagonist mentions this fact to the woman, she abruptly redirects the conversation, mentioning "Christopher Mullohand...".

"Isn't that the name of the Eton schoolboy who was on a walking tour through the West Country and then all of a sudden... ", "Milk" she said'.

Similar to a scene in 'The Usual Suspects' where Verbal is being interrogated, the man was close to uncovering the woman's identity. However, she redirected the conversation through displacement activity. Though he persisted with probing questions, she remained unflappable and even befriended him despite his presence. The story takes an interesting turn when he discovers that she collects stuffed animals. As the story concludes, it becomes apparent that her innocence may be questionable. Although the ending is climactic, it is not overly dramatic as it suggests that he has decided to stay. In 'The Usual Suspects', Verbal recalls past events amidst multiple

subplots and twists in a complex storyline.

Verbal is arrested in the beginning of 'The Usual Suspects' due to his presence during a significant explosion on a Hungarian boat in the current timeline. Although a police detective tries to get Verbal to tell the truth, he has already been bailed out and will be free in two hours.

At the detective's office, Verbal is requested to recount the story from his perspective. The storyline includes alternating scenes between past and present, with Verbal's storytelling leading up to a dramatic revelation where past occurrences merge with the current situation. The primary goal of the plot is to uncover Keyser Soze, an infamous criminal genius. Instead of following a linear timeline, the narrative jumps back and forth in time, bringing complexity and culminating in two interconnected climactic moments for both the main and subplots.

As a novel, The Lord of The Flies has a slower pace compared to other stories I have studied. However, relevant chapters contain key elements of the plot. The story commences with a group of children stranded on a remote island after their plane crashes. Their struggle for survival and rescue from unknown dangers are central themes. Gradually, the narrative uncovers hidden aspects of their personalities as their desire to be rescued diminishes. Several main characters' in-depth development plays crucial roles in the overall structure and progression of the story.

The tale follows the children's daily routine on the island, where their self-governance leads to chaos. Towards the climax, hope is lost for Ralph and utter anarchy ensues. The naval officer arrives to find the children screaming and playing, but in actuality, they are left unattended. This

twist is similar to the revelation in 'The Usual Suspects' that Verbal is Keyser Soze. The language used in the stories varies to convey the speed of events. 'The Tell Tale Heart' uses hyphens to indicate the criminal's rapid speech, reflecting his intense emotions.

A significant amount of exclamation marks and repetition are employed for emphasis in the story's opening sentence, which states, "True! - Nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?" This highlights the character's sense of excitement and potential madness. Throughout the story, hyphens are consistently used to create a fast-paced narrative that illustrates the ease with which the protagonist's focus can shift.

When reading 'The Landlady', the pace is slower and more subtle, with less erratic language usage. The use of italics by the landlady when talking to the man is notable as they emphasize certain points, such as "We have all to ourselves". Additionally, certain italicized words in the text imply a want or possessiveness, representing what she considers right or good. To add to the odd atmosphere, similes are used without any specific pattern or method, in contrast to 'The Tell Tale Heart' where hyphens and exclamation marks are frequently used to convey pace.

The story's pace is determined by the reader's choice, without a sole narrator. This conversational style can also be seen in 'The usual suspects', where Verbal narrates the events as he remembers them, but the narration is interrupted by other characters speaking. This style is diverse, with various characters using different language styles, from Hispanic slang to well-spoken English and American accents, including Verbal's stuttering. The

film's language is cosmopolitan in nature.

Despite the multitude of language styles used throughout a film's duration, the colloquial style and conversational language amongst the characters and the narrative are the most common. The different language styles in a film serve to give each character a unique identity that is instantly recognisable. Additionally, musical silence, paired with a subtle background score, can evoke emotions and mood in a given situation. A quiet score played after a traumatic event, such as a death or tragedy, for example, can represent language that reflects the overall mood of the scene.

This section can cover different ways to represent camera styles, views, and angles. These techniques can instantly convey the intended image or impression to the viewer, especially from another person's perspective. The Lord of the Flies novel similarly employs various styles such as italicized emphasis, exclamation marks, commas, and hyphens to show the story's fast pace. Certain characters also have distinct speech patterns. For instance, Jack uses more exclamation marks and commas, while Simon and Piggy's speech is slower with longer sentences. Golding also uses pathetic fallacy to mirror the mood of a situation with the weather/surroundings.

Each murder story I have studied has a different motive, and it adds interest to the tale. The motive is a critical element in the character's development and the plot's progression. In 'The Tell Tale Heart', the main character's madness is fueled by his hatred for the old man's eye. He hates the eye so much that we immediately conclude that he is truly insane. He becomes wildly hysterical about his relationship with the man and his eye, and though he is living with

the old man, we cannot discern hatred towards the old man himself. The murder's motivation is entirely determined by the man's eye, causing two opposing views and emotions to be juxtaposed. He declares, "I loved the old man."

Despite lacking interest in the old man's gold and not having been mistreated by him, the protagonist is incited by the old man's eye. The protagonist attributes his irrational hatred to the resemblance between one of the old man's eyes and a vulture's eye. This leads him to commit murder and lose his sanity. In contrast, narratives such as 'The Usual Suspects' and 'The Lord of the Flies' present more intricate and gradual developments in their events, showcasing an alternative form of malevolence.

An array of possibilities exist for fresh sub-plots and concepts to emerge within the story. An excellent illustration is The Lord of the Flies, which commences with the notion of a "safe playground" but transforms into a severe and merciless atmosphere. The book lacks a defined intention; however, Golding emphasizes the yearning for power, which could be perceived as humankind's inherent defect.

The fault of those left in isolation is their need for control, leading them to resort to tribal behavior and fighting for dominance. This may have been the motivation behind various separated incidents. The movie 'The Usual Suspects' follows a similar concept, with numerous acts of violence and criminal behavior occurring throughout the storyline, diverting attention to them before linking them to the main plot. Instead of focusing on a single crime, we see a multitude of criminal acts that all tie into Keyser Soze's master plan. Ultimately, the attraction to crime literature and theater

lies in their diversity, depth, and attention to detail, with endless possibilities for unique stories while still adhering to a central theme.

Although I have only examined a few examples, the potential for exploration within the 'crime' theme is essentially limitless. Each example presents its own unique characteristics, worth, and power. Many of these instances are captivating to an audience, even minor technical components such as language style can have a significant impact. For example, if 'The Tell Tale Heart' was presented in a different style, it would not possess the same appeal that it does currently. Similarly, classics like 'The Lord of the Flies' provide satisfaction to readers and have been studied extensively while shorter works like 'The Landlady' still manage to entertain and surprise their audience with unforeseen plot twists at the conclusion.

The questions introduced have been addressed, leading to the conclusion that our fascination with crime stems from the aforementioned reasons.