25 pages • 50 minutes read
Stephen KingThe Man Who Loved Flowers
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1977A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Juxtaposition
The juxtaposition of light and dark signals the changing mood of the story, from one of hope to despair. At the beginning of the narrative, it is an early spring evening and the sky is pastel-colored. The young man is fully visible, and onlookers can see The Joy of Young Love in his facial expression. However, after he purchases the tea roses, the narration’s descriptions become gradually darker. Once the protagonist turns down the alley where the murder takes place, it is “dark and shadowy”(Paragraph 36). As the spring day grows darker, so do the intentions of the young man. Once he murders the woman who is not Norma, she is described as a “dark shadow” on the lane, emphasizing her anonymity to him. As he walks away, it is “full dark now” (Paragraph 40), representing the darkness of his deed. Concealed by the night, the bloodstains on his clothes go undetected.
Foreshadowing
From the beginning of the text, King subtly foreshadows the horrific end of the tale. In the first paragraph, the fading light indicates the imminent darkening of the story. The most prominent foreshadowing is the news pouring from the radio, highlighting the harsh reality of the world, including a “hammer murderer […] still on the loose” (Paragraph 4). While the young man walks, he looks briefly troubled as he touches something in his pocket. While readers may expect an engagement ring given the other details of the text, the item is the hammer he later produces to kill a stranger.
Irony
The entire narrative is based on irony. Readers expect a romantic story, but King presents a horrific tragedy of loss and murder instead. Utilizing a number of other literary techniques to meet this end, the narrative starts on an idyllic spring evening. Everyone who sees the young man revels in Nostalgia, as he epitomizes The Joy of Young Love. The flowers he buys suggest a man preparing to meet the love of his life, while the radio predicts an evening perfect for romance. As King builds the narrative to suggest just such a romantic encounter, he swiftly subverts readers’ expectations. The romantic moonlight protects the identity of a serial killer, while his love, Norma, is revealed to be long dead. The young man carries a hammer in his pocket, not a ring; and the spill of flowers he presents to a nameless young woman become symbolic of a funeral.
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By Stephen King
