45 pages • 1 hour read
Joseph BruchacSkeleton Man
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2001A 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
Genre: The Horror Story
Although Skeleton Man is intended for younger readers, its plot features many of the characteristics of a traditional horror story. One of the goals of such a story is to create a sense of fear and anticipation, and Bruchac accomplishes this through his initial recounting of the Mohawk legend of the Skeleton Man. The gruesome nature of the story indicates the novel’s place in the horror genre, for horror stories traditionally feature supernatural occurrences and characters. Although Molly’s great-uncle appears normal to the adults in the story, the fact that Molly herself can perceive his monstrous nature adds to the suspense in the novel: In addition to finding herself in mortal danger, she remains unable to convince anyone around her of the true nature of her predicament. The Skeleton Man’s supernatural status is further cemented when the rabbit in Molly’s dream confirms that her great-uncle is not human.
The stylistic elements of the story also support its categorization in the horror genre, for just as writers of horror stories often use cliff-hangers at the end of a chapter, Bruchac habitually employs this technique to notable effect. For example, when Molly finds photos of her parents at the very end of Chapter 14, only the closing line reveals that her mother is tied up and has duct tape over her mouth. This strategically delayed information injects the scene with a new level of urgency. Finally, a horror story often requires the main characters to directly confront a monstrous enemy in a climactic battle, and Bruchac follows this convention by crafting a situation in which Molly tricks the Skeleton Man into a confrontation that will either lead to her death or to the death of the monster.
The Rule of Three
The Rule of Three is an ancient device of storytelling. In many examples of folklore or fables, characters are often given three wishes, or three guesses, or else they experience a series of three significant events. Sometimes three heroes vie for the same challenge, with the third one always being the winner. A prime example of this structure is the classic tale of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” which tells the story of a girl who wanders into a house that is not hers and finds three plates of food, three chairs, three beds, and finally three bears. The idea behind this story structure is that grouping events in threes can make a story more memorable. In Skeleton Man, Bruchac employs the Rule of Three by telling the legend of the Skeleton Man three different times. Molly opens the novel with a recounting of the Skeleton Man story, which originates from the Mohawk Reserve in Canada. Later, in a series of dreams, the story of Skeleton Man unfolds once more in an altered form that is far more significant to Bruchac’s protagonist. Finally, when Molly rescues her parents, the Skeleton Man story manifests in the waking world. The first two narrations of the story foreshadow the final occurrence and indicate that the monster will eventually be vanquished. Likewise, Molly’s dream story unfolds over three nights, mimicking the structure of a traditional fable that follows the Rule of Three.
Related Titles
By Joseph Bruchac
