Shutter Island – A masterpiece

“Which would be worse: To live as a monster, or to die as a good man?” “Shutter Island” is a
heroic tale written in 2003 by author Dennis Lehane. Set within the summer of 1954, with
reminiscences of World War II still being vivid, the novel follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels
as he travels to Shutter Island, the situation of Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane.
"Shutter Island” can be seen as one of the most masterfully plotted books of all time. The artistic
and moral values of this book are worth-considering.

“My inspiration for Shutter Island was whiskey”, as Lehane once stated, Shutter Island came
unfurling to him in the middle of the night, not a dream but a mental breakdown. His mother was
having an illness and his acquaintance had just died. He went to the kitchen, wrote it all down
and went to bed. Maybe because of this special composing circumstances that throughout the
story, the message madness is clear and demonstrated through both the writing style and
characters. For example, the key character Teddy Daniels dispatched to Shutter Island to
investigate as well as searching for a person called Andrew Laeddis, who was responsible for
killing Teddy's wife, Dolores. For most of his adult life, Teddy was a soldier being part of the
liberation force at Dachau concentration camp. Since he felt guilty about shooting unarmed men,
he made a decision of gunning down only if his life depended on it. However, it revealed as a
shock when Dr. Cawley asserted that Teddy was, in fact, Andrew Laeddis and was committed to
Shutter Island two years previously for killing his wife after she murdered their three children.
Everything happened only because Teddy/Andrew could not come to terms with the tragedy of
his family. His speech and actions, from the start to the end show no signs of a mental patients,
making readers focus on the mystery and creepiness of the island only.

“Shutter Island” becomes one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature also thanks to not
only its ingenious story, deep characters but also proficient usage of rhetorical devices. Not only
did it baffle the readers but also clued them into the truth behind the story. In particular, through
a brilliant utilization of allegory, imagery and irony, Shutter Island transforms itself from a
simple, ordinary detective story at first glance into a spine-chilling story of a tortured and broken
man, struggling to accept reality. The story is laden with deep yet obscure allegories in regards to
Teddy’s (or Andrew’s) true past. It is laid in a way where the reader might only notice the
symbols and believe them to be an interesting stylistic detail by the author on the first read.
However, on the second read, these symbols become obvious glaring clues as to the genuine
nature of Teddy/Andrew’s past. Such symbols as “logs” being an allegory to Andrew’s dead
children, or the name “Dolores” being an anagram for Rachel Solando - Andrew’s dead wife,
murdered by his own hands after she killed their children, tend to go unnoticed unless the reader
were to reread the story. In addition to the already excellent use of allegory, author Dennis
Lehane also has a fine command of imagery. He used it to evoke feelings of fear, dread and
unease within the characters and the readers themselves, all the while staying true to the story's
main theme of how little control the characters have. It's almost as if Andrew does not have any
power over anything at all, not even over himself. The imagery of the oncoming Hurricane Carol
looms over the island as a violent and unstoppable threat. This could be read as a kind of insight
or indication of Andrew's inner psyche where he appears calm within his own head but in reality,
he is dangerous and destructive to himself. Another example of this usage of imagery is the
constant forthcoming threat of nuclear destruction, a menace that is constantly referred
throughout the story. Multiple characters mention the hazard, for instance, when Teddy recalls
Dolores being anxious at the news of escalating tensions between the US and Russia and how a
patient that Teddy meets in Ward C vividly describes the workings of a hydrogen bomb and how
it implodes on itself. The last major rhetorical device used to great effect is irony, largely in
reference to the plot twist that is exposed at the end. The use of this type of situational irony
serves to add an incredible amount of depth to the story and solidify “Shutter Island" as one of
the best works of fiction ever produced. With the introduction of the plot twist, the author is able
to turn small details into key plot points, completely alter the character dynamic and reframe the
audience’s perspective of the story, from a classic detective one to an exploration of a man,
broken by grief and trauma.

This book also contains many moral values. The most salutary lesson is to let go of the past.
Since the main character in the story is obsessed with his tragic family, he creates a fantasy
world that includes different characters and he himself plays a role in. It is because he wants to
deny all traumatic memories about his beloved wife and children. When people try to cure him,
his illness is so severe and chronic that his treating process turns into a vicious endless cycle. As
soon as he realizes the truth, everything will come back to the starting point the next day. That’s
why it is important to leave all the grief behind. Forgiving the past, forgiving the people who had
wronged you is forgiving yourself, when you become happier and more relieved. It also enables
a person to avoid psychological disorders and other diseases. In the second place, it is a message
about philanthropy. Even though the main character’s illness is so serious and the treatment has
failed several times, it is mercy and empathy that make people insist on curing him regardless of
having to act along in his own imaginary world. Ultimately, a new perspective about love in
general and family affection specifically is demonstrated. Teddy Daniels highly appreciates his
family. When there was something wrong with his wife, he took care of her. At the same time, he
loved his children and wanted to spend time with them as much as possible. Unfortunately, his
love was too unconditional. He killed his wife because she had murdered their children, then, he
regretted killing her. It is natural of humanity to love your family to the fullest extent; however,
each person have to analyze the situation and decide carefully on what is right or what goes
wrong. Love should not be blind under any circumstances.

Dennis Lehane was successful in leading the readers from surprise to astonishment. This
masterpiece flow changed continuously, sometimes deliberate, sometimes rapid, which
accumulated such feelings and emotions. The charisma of this story lay in small details, even
when you knew something was wrong from the first chapter, readers were still rolled away by
other spheres and factors. At the end, when the secret was revealed, it haunted their mind and
made them question themselves: “Why did I not see this from the beginning?” Put all this
together and it becomes obvious why “Shutter Island” has received such critical acclaim and
been regarded as one of the most outstanding literature works of the era.