63 pages • 2-hour read
Never Flinch
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, addiction, mental illness, substance use, and death by suicide.
Trig’s Ceramic Horse
As Trig explores and reflects on his past, he reveals that his nickname, “Trig”—which is not connected to his actual name, Donald Gibson—is a reference to Roy Rogers, a singer and actor. Roy Rogers’s famous horse, a palomino named Trigger, served as the inspiration for Trig’s nickname, which he got from his father. Roy Rogers named his horse Trigger for his speed and intelligence, making the nickname ironic for Trig, since his father often criticized him for being slow, nervous, and less intelligent. The ceramic horse was a gift from Trig’s father, and its presence in Trig’s life is a potent symbol of Trig’s childhood trauma, his internal conflict with the memory of his father, and his motivation in killing innocents.
Trig’s father sarcastically calling him “Trigger” or “good old Trigger” evokes the disdain Trig’s father showed him during his childhood. Many of Trig’s memories center on his father criticizing and beating him, with only a few memories, specifically during intermissions at hockey games, having any positivity. Trig’s decision to kill Barbara, Betty, Corrie, and Kate in Holman Rink reflects the importance of these memories for Trig, as they conflict with his overarching conflict with his father. Trig even blames his father’s behavior for Trig’s own struggle with addiction, as reflected in Trig’s decision to use the nickname to introduce himself at AA meetings.
The ceramic horse itself is the embodiment of what Trig’s father wanted Trig to be, which Trig never managed to become. Trig’s conflict is largely about proving that he does not “flinch,” meaning he does not hesitate to confront things head-on. In trying to “never flinch,” Trig ends up killing many innocent people, only to admit that he is only killing people to prove to the ghost of his father that he deserves the name “Trigger.” At the end of the novel, the ceramic horse survives, adopted by Jerry Allison, but it projects Trig’s voice, much as Trig heard and spoke to his father’s voice throughout the novel. The irony of Trig’s nickname, then, is physically imbued in the ceramic horse, raising the possibility of a sequel in the paranormal thriller genre.
Fame and Visibility
Two characters in the novel are famous to the point that they cannot go out in public without attracting a crowd. Kate McKay attracts both fans and protesters, as her fame comes from her activism for women’s and reproductive rights, while Sista Bessie, or Betty, is a notable performer who has recently returned to the stage. For both women, fame is simultaneously empowering and disempowering—amplifying their voices while limiting their freedom of movement, as crowds press in on and harass them wherever they go. For Kate, this pressure is especially dangerous, since many of the people who crowd her are chanting death threats, insulting her, or trying to disrupt her events. As such, whenever Betty or Kate need to get somewhere quickly and quietly, they have the same struggle of trying to escape the crowds.
For Kate, this motif plays out multiple times in the text, since she needs to leave every show without being stopped by fans or protesters, knowing that one of them could be her stalker. Betty, on the other hand, is not threatened by her crowd, but she needs to get to Holman Rink and uses the police and firefighter brawl as a distraction. The purpose of this motif is to show the danger inherent in fame and visibility, as the pressing crowds of fans restrict the famous characters’ movements. Even though Kate and Betty are wealthy and confident, the consequence of their fame is paradoxically restrictive. The struggle to get out unnoticed mirrors the reasoning behind Trig’s decision to target them, since being famous also increases the visibility of Trig’s plan to murder them.
Addiction
A motif for Trig’s character is his addictions to drinking and killing. The novel’s omniscient narrator explicitly treats these addictions as parallel to one another, noting that “since there is no Murderers Anonymous, there’s only one way he can stop” (308). Trig relies on the solidarity he finds in AA to combat his alcohol addiction, illustrating The Power of Solidarity in Overcoming Challenges. His addiction to murder, on the other hand, is inherently isolating as it must be carried out in secret, leading him to believe that his only escape is death by suicide.
It is important to understand the distinction between substance use, misuse, abuse, and addiction, all of which are considered separate issues with varying degrees of severity. Regarding alcohol, many people use alcohol responsibly for fun or socialization; however, some people misuse alcohol as a way to detach from reality, avoid issues in their lives, or actively harm their bodies. Substance abuse is the continued misuse of a drug, including alcohol, despite issues stemming from drug use, and it is often considered a part of addiction. Addiction is a complex mental and physical condition in which a person psychologically cannot stop themselves from continuing to abuse a substance, and they often develop a physical need to continue using the substance to avoid withdrawal. Regarding alcohol addiction, which is one of the most common forms of addiction, also known as alcohol dependence or alcohol use disorder, a person struggling with addiction will often drink more than is healthy, drink for longer periods than normal, and may not be able to stop themselves from continuing to drink.
In the novel, Trig experiences his addiction to murder as functionally identical to his alcohol addiction: He finds that he cannot stop himself from killing people, he kills more people than he should to avoid detection, and he starts to develop a compulsive urge to kill. The critical difference between alcohol and murder, though, is that there is no healthy or acceptable use of murder. While many people use alcohol without developing an addiction and without serious harm to themselves or others, murder is inherently destructive in any amount. Trig’s perspective helps to show how, having already experienced addiction with alcohol, Trig skips these steps, moving directly into abuse and addiction with his murder spree.
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