The Boogeyman

For much of the story, the closet door, slightly ajar, is the only physical indication of the Boogeyman’s presence. This is reinforced so often that the open closet door becomes a representation of the monster itself. Every time we encounter it in the narrative, we know that we either just missed the Boogeyman or that he will appear at any moment.

The closet door motif illustrates the story’s theme of The Nature of Fear and, more specifically, fear of the unknown. The depiction of a monster lurking inside an ordinary piece of furniture taps into our primal fear of things we cannot see and do not understand. The recurring image of the closet door open “just a crack” (103) represents the potential invasion of the unknown into everyday life.

The motif of domestic violence perpetrated by Lester reinforces the theme of Supernatural Versus Human Monstrosity. For Lester’s family, the Boogeyman was not the only threatening entity in the house. Lester’s violence echoes that of the Boogeyman. The first violent incident happens in the build-up to Denny’s death, when Lester says his son cried every time he was put to bed.