Explaining Mysteries in a Story
Intrigue with the death of a clown, living with a baboon. People hiding behind truth and suspicion. Ancient cults lurking in the shadows as some hide in plain sight. There are many odd scenarios to the story “The God of Dark Laughter”. When reading the story one has to think like a detective and try and explain the underlying mysteries to the murder of the man dressed in the mad suit of orange and purple velour. As the story proceeds you come to the understanding that the murder victim was a clown from the Entwhistle-Ealing Bros. circus. It is curious to wonder why this man, a clown, was hiding in a cave with a baboon, and was he a part of the secret cult the Ye-Heh. The manner in which the General Manager of the circus acted was highly suspicions in his answers and questions with the District attorney. Also, the killer was a man of mystery himself. One would suggest he was a coulrophobic, but could it be that he was a member of Ai. “The poor bastard was living in a cave.” (3) Why would anyone want to live like an animal? There are many reasons why some following this case would believe that the victim was just crazy, but maybe he was cleverer then anyone gives him credit for. Clowns are entertaining the masses and sometimes might just want a break from it all. The deputies found a Scout guide to roughing it in the cave, which one could believe this was the clown’s way of sanctuary. “Clowns are special people, they love their work, but sometimes it can be a little too much for them.”(2) The possibility that the clown never went to town for a hotel could also be for the fact that he had a baboon living with him. It is obvious that the baboon and the clown shared a bond. “For all his majestic bulk, the old fellow presented a rather sad spectacle.”(5) The baboon showed his emotion of sadness to the DA of the loss of his friend the clown. One could believe that the third set of footprints the DA found was not that of a child but the baboon. He
Cited: Chabon, Michael. "The God of Dark Laughter." The New Yorker. N.P., 09 Apr. 2001. Web. 19 Jan. 2011.