Shakes and Strangers

Noir readings seem to be somewhat uncomfortable at times. Dopamine Agnostics is a lot different from the last story I read about Frank and Cora. In This story, the main character Lorne is going through a rough time, since he was diagnosed with Parkinsons, which led him to receive the status of full disability. This story refers to some pretty dark moments, such as suicide, cheating, and neglect. I expected this story to be a lot darker, especially after what I have learned about Noir. I really liked how this story had a deeper underlying message. I feel as though many people could connect to something like this. People want to feel as though they have a purpose, and they want to feel needed. It never crossed Lorne’s mind that when he was taking the boy to the bathroom, and buying him candy, that he could come off as “stranger danger.” Stranger danger is something we teach children at a very young age, and the thought of abduction is very dark and upsetting. This story was also written with fantastic imagery and figurative language. This not only added amazing detail to the story, it also aided in the darkness of internal struggle. I’ve also realized that Noir doesn’t have to be a hardcore murder or criminal thriller. The situation in which the story takes place also plays a huge role in creating a piece of Noir.

This short story also created drama very subtly. You knew that he had Parkinsons, and you knew that it was going to affect him the rest of his life. You also knew that his family was going to be hit hard with this, even though they would receive disability checks. The drama was light, but it still gave the story depth. I feel as though in Noir the aspects of the story that make it dramatic are subtle and help create the dark allusion. The authors do not have to rely on creating drama to make the stories good. All of the aspects of Noir come together to give the story a deep, and thrilling feeling.