“Murder, after all, has exhilaration within it […] from possessing such strength. Besides, murder offers the promise of vast relief. It is never unisexual.”
The quote firmly establishes the novel’s primary theme: violence and sex. Moreover Rojack is making an assertion of how closely interconnect the two concepts are to him. In inflicting harm upon someone else he is able to establish his dominance over a person giving him a sense of power. When someone submits to him and allows him to satiate his sexual urges he is likewise able to establish his dominance over the person and it gives him a similar euphoric sensation of power.
“I could go into more detail about the…steps which left me a young Congressman…but that would merely describe the adventures of the part which I as a young actor was playing.”
The quote is proof positive of Rojack’s unreliability as a narrator as this shows that he was already a frighteningly proficient liar prior to the crimes narrated in the novel. The quote is also a backhanded criticism of politicians overall about their proclivity for turning to dishonesty for personal gain. For Rojack, being a congressman was tantamount to playing a role in a play, telling people what they want to hear to get him into a position of power, and nothing about serving his fellowman.
“I opened my eyes. I was weary with a most honorable fatigue, and my flesh seemed new. I had not felt so nice since I was twelve.”
Proof positive that Stephen Rojack has descended into madness, completely abandoning any rational reasoning he once held to. Rather than feel remorse for the murder that he had just committed he actually feels fulfilled going as far as to describe his fatigue from the energy expended in murdering his ex-wife as “honorable”—clearly not how a sane person would describe feeling after killing someone.
“I did not throw the grenades on that night on the hill under the moon, it threw them, and it did a near-perfect job.”
This quote is an example of how elements of the supernatural are closely woven into the narrative making for an odd mix of a dark and gritty crime story and magical realism. It is also an example of Rojack’s unraveling sanity and degenerating morality. It is fascinating and frightening to note that he only experiences the supernatural when he is about to kill someone or inflict harm.
