The Boogeyman

Repetition of words and phrases is used throughout literature of all genres to emphasize important details and lead readers to specific conclusions. Throughout “The Boogeyman,” there is one phrase that Lester repeats several times. At each of his children’s deaths, as well as at the end when the Boogeyman appears, he notes that the closet door was open “just a crack” (103). The open closet is a telltale sign of the monster’s presence. In fact, until it gets bolder toward the end of the story, it is the only sign of the monster’s movement in the house at all, and the only evidence of what killed the children. This phrase is repeated with each appearance of the Boogeyman until it becomes, in itself, a reference to the monster. With each repetition, the phrase evokes more and more dread in the reader until, finally, it is repeated just before the Boogeyman reveals itself. The effect is a stomach-dropping feeling as the reader puts together what is about to happen to Lester.

A plot twist is an unexpected deviation in the plot that changes the story’s direction. At the end of “The Boogeyman,” the figurative rug is ripped from beneath the reader’s feet as the Boogeyman appears, holding a Dr. Harper mask. This plot twist calls into question everything we thought we knew about Lester and Dr. Harper up until that point. Lester’s admissions to domestic violence throughout the story hint that the Boogeyman never existed at all. The probability that Lester killed his children and blamed a non-existent Boogeyman seems an increasingly likely possibility. The final appearance of the Boogeyman in Dr. Harper’s office could be interpreted as a metaphor, suggesting that Lester would rather face a monster than his own guilt. However, it is also possible that the ending is literal and the Boogeyman was impersonating Dr. Harper all along. The plot twist leaves the reader questioning what is true, intensifying the uneasy tone of the whole story.