The Life We Bury

A murder mystery is a puzzle by nature, and Joe refers to Carl's case as a puzzle on multiple occasions. Joe perceives his discussions with Carl as a puzzle, gathering pieces to construct the “monster” who Joe initially sees. There is also the spot-the-difference puzzle of the crime scene photos and the puzzle of Crystal’s coded diary; the latter puzzle's solution requires Jeremy's adept pattern recognition skills. Metaphorically, each of the novel's characters is a puzzle: Each character struggles with piecing together emotions, past experiences and traumas, and current struggles to arrive at a solution, or a way forward.  

In the case of both Carl and Douglas, religion demonstrates the danger that comes with unquestioningly adhering to a perceived truth (in this case, the Bible). Religion has a powerful grip on Carl's mind when he’s younger and prevents him from committing suicide as a young man. However, he then seeks out another way to end his life—running into enemy fire. In Carl's case, religion did not provide him with solace or the will to keep living; it motivated him to find an alternative to suicide because he wanted to die. In contrast, Douglas is a devoutly religious man but not a good person. He abuses the Bible for his own selfish purposes, using verses to belittle his stepdaughter, Crystal, or to defend himself against wrongdoing. His interpretation of the Bible is exceedingly literal: When Danielle catches him at a strip club, he tells her “Jesus hung out with prostitutes” (154).