Along Came A Spider Rhetorical Analysis

Spider in a Candy Store Patterson is a man of strategy. Every word that goes into his pieces is carefully handpicked for a purpose. He spends extensive time developing the criminals in particular. His method in doing so works very well in his novels…. Patterson’s portrayal of criminals is effective because he allows their identity to remain unknown, his use of metaphors gives them animal-like characteristics, and the reader is able to enter deep into the villain’s mind. Humans crave a mystery. We are curious beings and gravitate toward the unknown. Patterson uses this psychological fact to his advantage. The criminals that star in his New York Time’s Bestsellers are often vaguely portrayed, to the point where their identities remain unknown to the reader. This caricature description keeps the reader thinking. It is like being given a wrapped gift: One can see the shape of the present but not the physical contents. This
In other words, metaphors are open for discussion. Patterson uses metaphors in his novels like there is no end. In Along Came a Spider, Gary Soneji, a famous murderer becomes obsessed with a detective named Alex Cross. Soneji decides to break into the Cross residence and sift through his belongings contained in the basement of the home. The metaphors that Patterson uses during this scene causes Soneji to appear like that of an animal. Soneji smells Alex’s daughter’s sweater to catch the scent of her sweat, almost giving him the appearance of a dog or wolf. Once Soneji has collected his evidence and pieces, the author writes, “he had spun his web perfectly”, Soneji almost admitting to his disturbed mind and giving him a spider-like appearance. Patterson specifically uses animal related metaphors to make it seem like the crimes committed are because of instinct. Gary is proud of his crimes and this is shown