Character Analysis Of Lester Ballard

The typical monster that is seen through the eyes of society today is one with six heads, big claws, and sharp teeth. While this type of monster is used frequently in stories and in the movies, there is surprisingly a more frightening villain among us. This type of monster lives in your hometown and you may even frequently pass him on the streets. This villain is named Lester Ballard. Lester is a middle-aged man whom is incapable of controlling his violent and sexual impulses due to his lack of immigration into society. While he does relate to other villains such as Grendal from Beowulf there are also many characters that he does not find much relation to such as Amontillado from the Cast of Amontillado. When exploring these characters and

Lester, in my opinion being the scariest of them all, from the outside seems somewhat strange although appears to have two eyes, ears, and legs making our perspective on him less alarming. We initially find him less intimidating because as humans we can find many relations to others from just the fact alone that they are humans also. When exploring just a little deeper into his mind we figure out his deranged realities. “He would arrange her in different positions and go out and peer in the window at her. After awhile he just sat holding her, his hands feeling her body under the new clothes. Then he pulled off his trousers and lay next to her. He spread her loose thighs. You been wantin it, he told her.” What is being described here is the way in which Lester treats the young girl he killed and preforms necrophilia on. The next character, Amontillado, relates to Lester on the fact alone that he is also a human being. What makes him most scary is the idea that he has the knowledge and capability to fully plan out a torturous murder and after all the years can tell the story like it happened just yesterday. “He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.” From this quote is it now evident that Amontillado knew almost every specific detail from that day, even down to what Fortunato was wearing. The last character Grendal shows his monstrosity almost in an opposite way of both Amontillado and Lester. Grendal is seen as a symbolic monster