Twisted Hate

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-10

Chapters 11-20

Chapters 21-30

Chapters 31-40

Chapters 41-50

Chapter 51-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde is Jules’s favorite movie, as it symbolizes her and her struggles. Like Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods, a sorority girl who ends up studying law, Jules challenges stereotypes about appearance and intelligence. When Josh’s coworker Micah is surprised to learn Jules attends Thayer Law, “[she] recognized judgment when [she] saw it, and [she] had zero obligation to be nice to someone who didn’t bother hiding his condescension” (226). She asks Micah what he thinks a law student should look like, challenging his thinking. When she crosses paths with Todd, a man who stood her up, the interaction mirrors Elle and ex-boyfriend Warner’s dynamic. Warner, like Todd, prioritizes appearances over connection.

Elle isn’t ashamed to have fun and express her femininity; likewise, Jules “didn’t believe in false humility—[she] knew [she] looked good” (2). Jules is unapologetically herself, despite Josh and others’ insults. Elle also doesn’t allow others to determine what she’s capable of, and often proves them wrong. Similarly, when Josh implies Jules won’t pass the bar exam, she vows, “Josh Chen was going to eat his words. Hopefully, he’d choke on them too” (5). On the other hand, to cement the pair’s status as a real couple, Josh plans for them to see Legally Blonde: The Musical in New York.

Josh’s Painting

Josh’s “hideous” but priceless painting is a motif that illustrates the disconnect between beauty and value. Many characters make the mistake of viewing Beauty as a Measure of Value, Josh and Jules included. Josh’s painting is described as “brown and green splashed across [a] canvas in a way that was reminiscent of vomit, [with] tiny yellow spots [adding] nonsensical detail on the edges” (356-57). He acquired the painting for a cheap price at an estate sale, and it’s been hanging over his bed ever since; however, the painting once belonged to a famous collector, and is “worth a lot of money in certain circles” (388). The painting is deemed worthless by the estate sellers, but valuable in “certain circles” with the knowledge to determine its value. This shows that value is often found in unseen details rather than appearance.

Jules herself deems Josh’s painting “the world’s most hideous painting” (200), while he argues it’s “unusual” and that “not everyone can have the same discerning eye for art” (222). By implying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Josh frames beauty as an unreliable indicator of value. While some might judge a person’s value by appearance, opinions don’t change this. Just as Josh’s painting retains its pricelessness, even after Jules attempts to devalue it, the same is true for both Josh and Jules, who are often judged by their looks. It is their inner qualities, not their outward appearances, that determine their worth.

Hostility

Jules’s and Josh’s hostility is a defensive mechanism, a symbol of hidden attraction and vulnerability. Though they view their feelings toward each other as mutual hatred, oftentimes, their thoughts and interactions are coupled with admissions of attraction or appreciation. In other words, hostility keeps them at a safe distance—which makes intimacy impossible. Jules even admits that “slipping into an argument with Josh was like slipping into old pair of jeans, comforting and familiar” (119). This declaration comes after his ski lessons and massages in Vermont. Jules is confused and hesitant to believe he is being genuine, and thus eagerly accepts the return of their verbal sparring.

After a bout of verbal sparring, Jules notes “everyone else looked at Josh and saw a handsome, charming doctor. I looked at him and saw a judgmental, self-righteous jerk” (7). She frames Josh as attractive, but distinguishes between her and “everyone else” by assigning him unattractive traits—“judgmental” and “self-righteous.” As for Josh, he admits, “Jules was beautiful, but so were wolfsbane and blue-ringed octopi. […] Most men were blinded by all those curves and big hazel eyes, but not me. I knew better than to fall for her trap” (2). He knows Jules is attractive, but, like her, he uses hostility to elevate himself and hide his feelings. He goes so far as to compare her to a succubus, a female demon that seduces sleeping men: His feelings for Jules “infiltrated [his] every waking and sleeping second” (158). By calling her a succubus, Josh convinces himself of his own detachment and the strictly sexual nature of their pact—therefore eliminating his fear of intimacy.