61 pages • 2 hours read
The Note
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Symbols & Motifs
Notes
Given that the novel’s conflicts cascade into motion after Kelsey’s fateful decision to place a prank note on David Smith’s car, suggesting that he is cheating on his current love interest, Alafair Burke uses this scenario to explore the ramifications of anonymous notes. The narrative ultimately shows that although the intentions behind such notes may be relatively harmless, they can lead to unintended consequences, as when Kelsey leaves David and his date a note that reads, “He’s cheating.” She does not tell her friends that she is leaving this note, and she later tries to minimize her actions by maintaining that it was intended as a prank. Her true intention is to drive a wedge between David and his date, and while this measure is successful, Kelsey feels tremendous guilt upon learning of David’s death, fearing that she incited his girlfriend to kill him. (Ultimately, Kelsey’s note does not actually do much harm, since Nate would have killed David anyway.)
The motif of incriminating notes reappears when the narrative later reveals that May anonymously alerted Wildwood administrators to Lauren’s affair with Thomas. At the time, May believed that this was a well-intentioned way of preventing Unlock all 61 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
