“I’m sorry I’ve given you such grief. A part of me was hidden all the time.”-Ted Bundy. What makes a serial killer? Is a serial killer born or is he created? Ted Bundy was a serial killer who had a disturbed childhood. Bundy was constantly emotionally detached from his stepfather and grew up thinking his mother was actually his sister. Roach (aka Scott Weber) from Acceleration grew up locked in a basement. He was a serial killer looking for a rush he could only get from evil. As time continues to run Duncan (the protagonist) attempts to stop Roach and save a life. The plot and symbolism within this book are cleverly planned therefore it seems appropriate to mention them in this essay.

The plot begins with the introduction; it describes an important place, the Lost and Found. It also introduces the protagonist. The abnormal thing about the introduction is that it is the only major indicator of time within this book as it briefly describes the 2 month period that this book takes place in. The trigger event is the point in which Duncan finds Roach’s diary, “Not really a book at all, it’s some kind of journal or notebook”, this event allows the reader to ask an obvious question. Will Duncan find the writer of this mysterious diary? From that point on is the rising action, these are a few key points that are introduced to develop the story further. There are three contestants, as written in Roach’s diary. One of them is called Cherry and a little later in the book Duncan finds out that Cherry really exists and finally doesn’t doubt in his mind that this diary is real. Next on page 85 he finds out about the Homicidal Triad from an FBI profiler’s novel on serial killers. The Triad states that serial killers have 3 steps that lead to a life of fulfillment. Firstly is the slaughter of innocent animals, secondly are several acts of arson and finally is the murder of a human. This advances the story because Roach has committed all but one of these acts up to the point in which the story begins. The final action before the climax occurs on page 133 when using his intelligence Duncan finds out that Roach may be a security guard working at the local mall. The climax is used as a device to confuse and perplex the reader. There are two climaxes. The first occurs when Duncan hears the radio report of an attempted murder on the Subway; at this point he begins to think that Roach has already made his move. Putting the reader into perspective it confuses us as we now believe that the deed has been done but there is still another fifty pages and the protagonist has failed. This failure on the protagonists’ part barely if ever happens, therefore it is ironic. The true climax surprisingly occurs 7 pages later when Roach comes down to the Lost and Found asking for his journal, at this point Duncan finally realizes that this is the man that was locked in a murky basement for countless years, followed the Triad and was plotting to murder an innocent civilian. This answers the trigger event question as he does find the author of the diary. The climax continues as he follows Roach home and breaks into Roach’s house, finding nothing but finally leaves the house with a serial killer tailing him on a marathon run across the city. The falling action and ending occur shortly after Duncan has been treated at the hospital as the loose ends are tied up and he finds out that Roach is actually Scott Weber.

The symbolism within Acceleration is used in abundance. A symbol that had the biggest impact was on page 57 when Duncan begins to read more of the diary he found. In the diary it states that Roach had chosen 3 female victims to murder. He gave them the nicknames Cherry, Clown, and Bones based on their appearance. These three represent some very recognizable figures from Roach’s past. Cherry may symbolize one of Roach’s hidden loves that only ended in rejection, Clown represents his mother as he did write about how one day she came home with three men, and she was dressed like a clown. He had always despised his mother because she was a prostitute. Finally Bones represents his grandmother, who was very boney and always brought him suffering and was the major factor to his current state. His grandmother also represents the Grim Reaper because of the way she treated him. The two books that are used in this novel also play a very important role. Roach’s diary that Duncan finds represents all the things that are wrong with society. Later in the novel Duncan finds another book written by an FBI profiler. This book is the exact opposite of what the diary was it represents more order and the justice of today’s society as whenever something goes wrong, 90 percent of the time it is taken into court. It is as if these two books are battling throughout this novel. The basic overall message of this book that was hidden and did require a bit of probing, was a sort of male dominance. Roach would not appear as a female but a male to most readers that are thinking in a traditional sense. This is stereotyping that serial killers are men. 93% of serial killers are indeed men. Another thing is the arson that Roach instigated; it clearly involved fire which is a male symbol. Is Acceleration hinting that men may actually be more powerful than women in society?

Roach was a serial killer. A monster is not born but created. To put into contrast the monster from the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, was not born but created by a scientist. In Roach’s case his childhood was disturbed as he grew up in a house where his grandmother locked him in the basement because she believed that he was going to rape her. Acceleration is a book for ages 15-30. Out of a rating of 10 I would give it an 8. Roach’s passions overwhelmed him. Influence drove him to madness as inheritance drove him to sadness. All ended in a calamity for Roach.