Deception and Despair: A Review of 'Gone Girl'

In the novel Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, a young man’s life is turned upside down when his wife fakes her own murder, and frames him. Nick and Amy had fallen for each other at a writers party, and dated for two magical years before Nick proposed to Amy at an “Amazing Amy” function. “Amazing Amy” was a children’s story that Amy’s parents had created with he as their muse, and they were often more focused on the fictional Amy than the real one. In the beginning years of their marriage, Nick and Amy were obsessed with each other, always promising that they would never end up like “those couples” who would argue endlessly and treat each other as if they were not once in love. Despite their valiant efforts and promises, a recession, Nick’s mother’s

Having the woman be the antagonist in the marriage changed the feminist views that usually accompany a story about abuse. This was a case where a woman would not let her husband her hurt in such a cowardly way, without some sort of revenge. The extent to which Amy goes to ensure her husband’s arrest shows the tendencies of a sociopath. From taking pints of her own blood to fake a crime scene, to faking her own pregnancy, and even murdering a man to ensure her story was as believable and heartbreaking as possible. She was manipulative and sneaky, but she also faced some problems during her process of disappearing. She had initially planned to actually kill herself, but after some thought, realized that she did not deserve to

Although she had been in a minorly abusive relationship, her reaction to the situation, and her form of revenge is not within the realm of normal human behavior. It can be argued that Amy is a psychopath, for creating such a meticulous string of false evidence, changing her own identity, and contemplating suicide. Throughout this, however, she still functions normally, and even makes friendly relationships along the way. Prior to her “murder,” Amy befriended a neighbor, and filled her with stories of Nick’s abuse, and even telling her that she was “pregnant,” so that when the story got out, she would speak on her behalf. Then, while undercover, Amy became friends with the people she lived near, ensuring some sort of companionship during her times as “Nancy” rather than Amy. In the beginning of the novel, Amy was seen as the victim, being emotionally torn apart by her husband, as if she were a puppet, but by the end of the novel, Flynn made it obvious that "Amy clearly isn 't a puppet on a string. She 's the puppet master (149)." She believed that “ The bigger the lie, the more they believe it (115).” Amy was extremely likeable and extroverted, regardless of her actions, making her the perfect example of