Too Close to Home: The Horrific Nature of Paul Kantner Leah Katz College

The narrative of a man who kills women because he feels sexually rejected is unfortunately an all too common one in society. There exists a feeling of entitlement that is remarkably antifeminist, but that also quickly extends into areas of race. The horrifying aspect of Paul Kantner in Bone Game is not simply the fact that he is killing women and violating their bodies; it is that he feels he has a right to do so due to his twisted psyche and as a result of his gender and race.

Although the simple fact that Kantner is killing women indicates a lack of respect, this is further highlighted by his word choice. When he describes the women trying to get away from him, he states that the women “became hysterical,” which is inherently gendered (Owens 219). Firstly, only women are ever described as hysterical, and it carries a connotation of someone who is unreasonably upset. Realistically, running through the woods to get away from a serial killer is a perfectly reasonable time to become upset. It may somewhat impede the process of getting away, which could be an argument to try and keep it together, but it is a bit too much to expect someone to be collected while fighting for their life. Furthermore, most people value their lives and...