49 pages • 1 hour read
Stephen Graham JonesI Was a Teenage Slasher
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Slasher Tropes
Slasher film tropes are a motif for the theme of Fate Versus Free Will. They ensure that Justin and Tolly’s actions function according to a recognizable pattern, which Amber can identify because of her expertise with slasher films. The first time Stephen Graham Jones deploys slasher tropes is in the first chapter when he lays out the circumstances that result in Justin’s assault on Deek’s house party. The grisly nature of Justin’s death is reminiscent of the deaths of other iconic slashers, like Jason Voorhees, who died by unsupervised drowning, and Freddy Kreuger, who was burned to death by an angry mob.
Jones formalizes the function of slasher tropes in the second chapter when Amber observes the pattern occurring in real life. She identifies Justin as the slasher and Stace as his final girl, who is only able to overcome him after he has killed his final victim and perpetrator of the original sin, Deek Masterson, in a similarly grisly death. Once she realizes the same thing is happening to Tolly, she helps him to anticipate what he will do with the hopes of preventing more deaths from happening.
This motif reflects the way Tolly feels trapped by his circumstances. As the end of high school approaches, he expects to fulfill the same role his father played in Lamesa society, working as a pumper. The fact that Amber starts becoming accepted by the social circle of Lamesa High hints at her potential to live a life beyond their hometown, which Tolly does not feel. In this way, he becomes a slasher to upend the rules and conventions of the society around, criticizing its unfairness.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is Tolly’s weakness, which Amber exploits to defeat him during their final confrontation. However, peanut butter also plays a symbolic role, representing not only the intimacy of Tolly and Amber’s friendship, but the persistence of Tolly’s true identity.
The first time Tolly’s peanut allergy drives the plot forward occurs during Deek’s house party. Though the marching band is confused when Tolly manifests the symptoms of anaphylaxis, Stace warns Amber about what is happening. This pushes Amber to retrieve Tolly’s EpiPen, which she keeps in her truck. Stace is aware of Tolly’s peanut allergy because she used to babysit him. Similarly, the fact that Amber keeps an EpiPen for Tolly signifies how much she values his presence in her life. If Tolly experienced an allergic reaction, Amber would be prepared to relieve it.
The fact that Tolly continues to experience an allergic reaction after his slasher persona emerges points to the idea that his identity as Tolly supersedes his identity as a slasher. Tolly’s slasher persona depends on Tolly’s body to survive and kill, much like a parasite. Tolly can’t control his body while his slasher persona is active, but the fact that his body can react to idiosyncratic stimuli like peanut butter suggests that something within Tolly will always remain fundamental to his identity.
Grain Elevator
The grain elevator is a symbolic location in the novel. It functions as a motif for the theme of Fate Versus Free Will, representing Tolly’s attitudes toward his destiny in Lamesa. The grain elevator frequently looms in the background of his killings, mirroring the way that Tolly’s future looms over the horizon.
The industrial function of the grain elevator resonates with the industrial future Tolly sees for himself. Likewise, the fact that the location is used to stockpile grain mirrors the way Tolly sees his potential being stored away as a latent resource in his life. Tolly distorts this function by using it to store the bodies of his victims, allowing Amber to later enact the Tunnel of Love trope. Doing so allows Tolly to reassert control over his destiny, subverting the hierarchy that places him at the bottom rung of the social ladder.
Naturally, the grain elevator also becomes the site of Tolly’s literal downfall. His plunge from the high platform underlines his revenge drive as a fatal flaw, forcing Amber to use his peanut allergy against him to survive. The fall also enables Amber to redeem Tolly through a final act of mercy, resolving the conflict and allowing him to look to his future with hope for a new life.
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By Stephen Graham Jones
