46 pages • 1 hour read
Patrick CarmanSkeleton Creek
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Ryan McCray
Ryan is the protagonist and the narrator of the print portion of the novel. He is a 15-year-old creative writer who grew up in Skeleton Creek. Ryan describes himself as “the sort of person who overanalyzes, worries, frets” (5); this characterization sets the tone for the novel, as Ryan’s journal entries consist of dreams, memories, and rumination on his and Sarah’s situation. Ryan also relies heavily on foreshadowing, reinforcing the reflective tone while enhancing narrative suspense and tension.
The epistolary form of the novel provides insight into major aspects of Ryan’s character, such as his obsessive need to write. He identifies his role models as writers such as John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway who “put writing up there in the same category as air and water” (5). Ryan uses his journal to take back a measure of control as the events that he records progress and the danger intensifies, noting that “things are safer when [he] thinks of them as fiction” (7). His decision to record the events and his feelings about them in a journal also reveals his deeply emotional nature. He shares the confusion, guilt, and anger he feels even while writing about other characters.
Ryan’s writing frequently appears as episodes of stream of consciousness, which demonstrates his analytical nature. He explains that he likes “to act on […] thoughts and write them down as they are occurring” (7). These stream-of-consciousness passages often precede or follow Sarah’s video diaries, seemingly instructing readers on how to access the digital element of the narrative. Ryan talking himself into viewing the videos utilizes his emotional transparency to help readers adjust to an unfamiliar mode of storytelling. For example, just before accessing the first video, Ryan goads himself into viewing Sarah’s message. He writes: “I have to, I’m afraid. It’s so simple. Just go to Sarah’s name online. Sarahfincher.com. Enter the password houseofusher. Then click return. One Click. Do it, Ryan” (24).
Ryan’s emphasis on the simplicity of the task reflects the intensity of the fear he feels about undertaking it. This method of character and reader interaction simultaneously allows Ryan to deliver practical instructions and builds suspense about what the video entails.
Ryan’s characterization also situates the protagonist within The Relationship Between Print, Digital, and New Media. His love of writing parallels Sarah’s love for film, encouraging a comparison between the two methods of communication. Ryan explains that their “creative obsessions seem to draw [them] together like magnets” (17), suggests that the creative impulse connects Ryan and Sarah more than a particular art form. Ryan does not share such a connection with Gladys Morgan, another character with symbolic connections to print, and he maintains a love-hate relationship with digital technology. One moment he loves digital technology, an escape from “dull, lingering boredom” (53), and the next moment he “[hates] technology” and will only rely upon “good old-fashioned paper” (137). Ryan is a complex character whose moods often dictate his point of view. This is particularly important since Ryan is the novel’s primary narrator, and at times his state of mind may render him unreliable.
Sarah Fincher
Sarah Fincher, 15, is the other main protagonist. She authors the videos Ryan watches and serves as the catalyst that starts him on the investigation. Early on, Sarah is characterizes as fearless, even to a fault. Ryan’s journal includes descriptions of his and Sarah’s adventures, which escalate in danger as the friends get older. Ryan also places her emails in his journal, which characterize her as direct and energetic.
The strongest source of Sarah’s characterization is provided through the video diaries available at sarahfincher.com. The passwords, which are all literary references, provide additional insight into Sarah’s characterization. The two final passwords, for instance, illustrate Sarah’s familiarity with classic horror films while the previous seven films reference 19th-century Gothic horror fiction. Given her film references, Sarah is clearly familiar with complex aesthetic techniques for cinematic storytelling, and her videos emulate the handheld-video technique popularized by The Blair Witch Project (1999) that has become a staple of teen horror films. With this broad combination of aesthetics, Sarah represents the new media literacy that Carman attributes to contemporary young adults ("NCTE Talks Skeleton Creek").
Sarah’s storytelling contains many elements that mirror Ryan’s style of writing. For example, several videos contain footage of Sarah moving about behind a handheld camera, narrating in a stream-of-consciousness style similar to Ryan’s. As the narrative progresses, Ryan’s journal begins to include printouts of emails and newspaper clippings. Similarly, the background in Sarah’s room includes new photos and other papers taped to her walls to illustrate her expanding investigation. Some videos also contain edited moments from her earliest videos, providing exposition on Ryan’s early life. The third video, “theraven,” is an example of this technique. The smoothly edited video allows Carman to control the flow of the novel, and the video’s script ensures that readers effectively engage with the video to catch key moments that slowly unravel the mystery of Joe Bush’s tragic death and the Crossbones conspiracy.
Sarah also influences Ryan’s view of the adults of Skeleton Creek. When Sarah suggests, somewhat hesitantly, that perhaps Paul McCray is involved with the Crossbones, Ryan is quick to suspect his father rather than defend him. She also frequently gives reminders to delete his technology use and encourages him not to underestimate his parents’ desire and ability to sneak around and police his activities. Sarah provides an important contrast with Ryan’s mother, who reminds Ryan that trust goes both ways and encourages him to trust his parents (160). This contrast fits within the theme of The Relationship Between Young Adults and Authority.
Paul McCray
Paul McCray is Ryan’s father. He functions as a representation of all parental authority through the interactions he has with Ryan and fits within the theme of the relationship between young adults and authority. His link to the Crossbones and the Alchemist also positions him within the theme of The Impact of Greed and Corruption, as the suspicion surrounding his character instills fear in Ryan.
Ryan describes his relationship with Paul as emotionally distant. He explains that he knew from an early age that his father “wouldn’t like it if [Ryan] was all upset” (69). Since Ryan describes himself as sensitive and emotional, carefully recording and reflecting upon his emotions throughout his journal, this suggests that Ryan may struggle for Paul’s approval. It also indicates they cannot communicate effectively. This miscommunication allows Ryan’s suspicions to take root and often leaves him “thinking [he’d] done something wrong” (71).
Paul acts as the main disciplinarian in the novel. He works to separate Ryan from Sarah, contributing to Ryan’s sense of isolation. For example, Ryan’s “earliest memory of stern fatherly advice [is to] find some other friends [… and] stop spending so much time with Sarah” (32). Paul’s ongoing judgment of the friendship becomes a refrain as he warns Ryan that they “had better stop acting like idiots [...] before one of them gets hurt” (32). This advice suggests that Paul is very concerned about Ryan, who rejects Paul’s concern when it is inconvenient. This suggests a certain bias against his father before he becomes suspicious of him and may explain why he is so quick to accept Sarah’s suggestion that his father may be involved with the Crossbones.
Ryan’s insecurities compound his suspicions after he discovers Paul’s connection to the Crossbones, making his father’s behavior seem sinister despite the concern Paul has shown. This is an important genre element of young adult fiction, as Ryan begins to interrogate his family’s values. Rather than a symbol of safety and trust, Paul becomes a threat, a symbol of Ryan’s disillusionment with the family. As their relationship begins to change, Ryan is unwilling to depend upon his father for safety and security in increasingly dangerous situations, forcing him to become more independent. This makes Paul a central figure within the theme of the relationship between young adults and authority.
Gladys Morgan
Gladys Morgan is the Skeleton Creek public librarian. Ryan describes her as “prehistoric” and compares her to a “crumpled newspaper” (11). Ryan’s description is a common trope for librarians in fiction, suggesting Gladys is also symbolic of cultural associations with print, a symbol within the theme of the relationship between print, digital technology, and new media.
Gladys is a foil for Ryan. While Ryan represents the possibilities that open when print and digital technology combine, Gladys represents a rejection of new media. The methods of print that she represents are archaic and isolated within the library, just as Skeleton Creek is isolated from the world. She is a gatekeeper who withholds information “beneath her desk [...] decaying in the same spot for a hundred years” (12). Rather than freely sharing information, Gladys provides the newspapers grudgingly, noting that they should “read them if [they] want, but let it go after that” (12). Like the other adults in the novel, Gladys is an obstructionist rather than a facilitator.
Gladys’s gatekeeper status is made explicit when Ryan and Sarah attempt to break into the public library at night and are met by Gladys holding a shotgun. This flashback sets Gladys up as an adversarial figure and aligns her with the secret-keeping elements in Skeleton Creek. The episode is traumatic enough that Ryan records dreams where Gladys appears as an ominous symbol, foreshadowing danger. Like Paul McCray, Gladys is a member of the Crossbones. Because of this, she also fits within the theme of the relationship between young adults and authority as one of the many adult threats that encourage distrust.
Old Joe Bush
The ghost of Joe Bush is a central plot point of the novel’s ghost story and mystery. He was an employee of the New York Gold and Silver company that worked the Dredge. His death raises the possibility that a crime has taken place, which fits within the theme of the impact of greed and corruption. Paul McCray tells Ryan that people suspected Joe had been stealing gold from the mine before he was pulled into the gears of the Dredge and drowned. This casts Joe’s character in a suspicious light, making Ryan unsure of whether he was a victim or a criminal.
Joe is initially characterized by Ryan’s encounter with the ghost, which he remembers after viewing Sarah’s video “theraven.” The ghost is a nightmarish figure in black with his face hidden under a broad-brimmed hat. He is large and slow-moving and drags one leg as he walks. The video uses special effects to make Joe’s injured leg appear more ghostly than real. In the second vook of the series, this video is used as evidence that the ghost of Joe Bush is indeed real despite Henry’s crimes while disguised as Joe Bush. The reality of the ghost of Joe Bush is reaffirmed in Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones when the ghost begins leaving clues for Ryan.
The ghost communicates throughout the story in two ways. First, he whispers to Ryan just before he falls that “Number Forty-Two is mine. Stay away from this place. I’m watching you” (51). This will later be attributed to Henry disguised as Joe Bush. Ryan also discovers that the tapping on the metal gears at the Dredge communicate a message in morse code: “Are you the Alchemist?” (139). In Skeleton Creek: The Ghost in the Machine, Henry reveals that he does not know Morse code, suggesting that the ghost of Joe Bush is indeed responsible for the message.
Henry
Henry is Paul McCray’s best friend and an important character within the two-volume story arc of Skeleton Creek and Skeleton Creek: The Ghost in the Machine. Initially, Henry is one of the few adults whom Ryan trusts. Henry lives in the city but stays with the McCrays in Skeleton Creek for two weeks of every year. He has a clownish persona; he is talkative and laughs a lot, wears rainbow-colored suspenders, and has wide mutton-chop sideburns (83). He also throws “outrageous poker parties” full of practical jokes (84). His willingness to communicate openly appeals to Ryan, making him approachable and trustworthy—unlike the adults of Skeleton Creek, who are quiet and, within the context of Ryan and Sarah’s research, secretive. Henry likes Sarah and promises to speak with Ryan’s parents about the enforced separation between the friends, making him the only adult ally in the novel. This makes him an important figure within the theme of the relationship between young adults and authority because he is something of an outlier.
Henry has a complicated history with Skeleton Creek. He was an employee of New York Gold and Silver, managing several company assets, or dredges, all over the country, including the one at Skeleton Creek. Ryan supposes that Henry “feels guilty about working for a company that tore up the land” (85), something that encourages trust in the teenager. A conversation between Henry and Ryan reinforces Henry’s image of trustworthiness when he notes, “They wanted me to lie about things, and that’s when I knew for sure I’d been doing something wrong all along” (107). More important, Henry reveals that he has heard of the Crossbones but is excluded from membership as “an outsider” (108). This also works within the theme of the relationship between young adults and authority, highlighting the character positions as insiders and outsiders in various institutional settings within the novel.
Henry’s role is somewhat limited in the first Skeleton Creek novel. He becomes a more important figure in the second novel of the series. The Ghost in the Machine picks up where Skeleton Creek leaves off, with the protagonists trapped in the Dredge by the ghost of Joe Bush. In the second vook, Ryan and Sarah learn that Henry has a mental illness, which is foreshadowed by the literary allusions in the passwords “houseofusher” and “peterquint.” Henry dresses as Old Joe Bush and tries to scare people away from the Dredge, where millions of dollars in gold are hidden. He is injured as he attempts to remove the gold from the Dredge as it burns in The Ghost in the Machine, making him a key figure in the theme of the impact of greed and corruption. He escapes when he is taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries and is never seen again.
