The Canyon's Edge

“Tormentor,” “Monster,” and “Demon,” the Beast haunts Nora’s nightmare and is one of the reasons she builds her emotional wall: to protect herself from the Beast. Nora envisions the Beast as a humanoid figure with sharp teeth and claws and a camouflaged, insect-like exoskeleton that pursues her in her dreams, though she always wakes up before she sees its face. The Beast is very real to her, although she lies to Mary and declares that the Beast isn’t real.

The Beast represents Nora’s unprocessed feelings about her traumatic experience. It embodies all the negative emotions and thoughts about the shooting—and even more about herself—that Nora doesn’t want to acknowledge. The Beast intrudes when Nora’s emotional guard is down and she’s emotionally vulnerable. When she gains confidence in herself—aided by memories of her loving mom and Nora’s own growing resilience—she sees that she is the Beast. Her self-doubt and self-criticism hold her back emotionally. Nora vanquishes the Beast by believing in her own strength rather than the Beast’s critical negativity.

Mom affectionately called Nora “Blackbird” after the Beatles song of the same name. The song lyrics refer to a blackbird, singing by itself at nighttime.