There Is No Devil

Mara’s psychological transformation is continued in this section. Her mother’s email forces a confrontation with a past version of herself—a vulnerable, desperate child—that she must reject. The most significant moment of self-confrontation occurs when Cole reveals his mother’s suicide in the hidden terrarium. He expects Mara to see a monster reflected in his past, but she instead sees a neglected child and turns her anger toward the mother who she feels abandoned him. By reframing his trauma, she fundamentally alters his self-perception and solidifies her role as his equal. In this act, she ceases to be a passive reflection of the men around her and becomes an active force. This internal integration is mirrored externally as she begins to cultivate a public persona, showing that she is no longer afraid of her own reflection.

The theme of Art as an Expression of Identity and Experience is advanced through the descriptions of the three main artists’ major works. Through these, this section explores the convergence of creation and destruction, framing artistic expression as a violent but essential means of processing trauma. The novel uses art as a means to reveal character and motivation. Shaw’s immersive spiderweb installation traps and disorients the viewer, mirroring his predatory psychology and the rage of his murders. In contrast, Cole’s design for the Corona Heights Park commission is a black glass labyrinth, a structure defined by control and precision. As a meticulously constructed trap, this symbolizes his need for dominance over others. Between these two extremes lies Mara’s artistic evolution. Previously unable to confront her past, this section shows her creating autobiographical works like The Burial, which depicts a girl with a charred teddy bear, making her lost innocence into a source of artistic power. Cole’s guidance is crucial in this transition and part of their mentor-ingenue dynamic, as shown by him urging her to merge her traumatic past with her public artistic persona. Mara’s act of repurposing trauma as high art becomes the primary vehicle for reclaiming her identity and self-esteem.

These chapters continue to interrogate agency and empowerment through the theme of Redefining Love Through Control and Submission. The relationship between Mara and Cole reaches its most dangerous moment, their violent sexual encounter in Chapter 7, following their public humiliation by Shaw. Cole choking Mara is a pivotal moment that the novel frames as a lesson, as he tells her, “This is what it will feel like to die as a victim” (97), in order to provoke her hidden anger and sense of fight. This extreme physical domination is perceived by them both as the catalyst for Mara’s psychological liberation, apparently overriding the risk, violence, and non-consensual aspects of Cole’s behavior in their minds. Mara’s climactic confession of her wish for her abusers to be “ALL FUCKING DEAD!” signals her full embrace of a new, aggressive identity (98), prefiguring her increasing embrace of personal vengeance.

Mara’s internal conflicts regarding violent retribution continue to prop up the theme of Vengeance as a Dark and Alternative Form of Justice. The established legal system is portrayed as fundamentally inept, embodied by Officer Hawks. Hawks’s adherence to procedure renders the official channels of justice useless, creating a moral vacuum that Cole and Mara increasingly fill with their own brand of retributive violence. Mara’s journey in this section is a rapid movement into Cole’s world of moral ambiguity. Initially resistant to violence, her confrontation with Shaw and a manipulative email from her mother are increments in the shift catalyzed by Cole’s sexual violence. Mara’s declaration of wanting revenge is a crucial turning point, aligning her increasingly with Cole’s worldview and tracing the development of their relationship.