Haunting Adeline

Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Though Zade’s height and strength are his most noticeable characteristics, his scars, as well as his differently colored eyes, serve as symbols of his resilience and violence. When Adeline first notices Zade in the bookstore, she notes his differently colored eyes, one “bottomless” and the other reminiscent of “a husky’s eyes” (13), as well as the scar on his face. The different colors of Zade’s eyes play on a classic comparison between dark and light, or evil and good, in which Zade’s dark eye implies an unlimited descent into immorality while his light eye is like a husky’s eye because dogs are considered pure and loyal. However, the scar crossing Zade’s light eye is a reminder of his profession and his violent nature, linking the “good” part of Zade to his “bad” part.

When Zade explains his scars, he recounts that they are the result of a fight he encountered the first time he infiltrated a trafficking ring, claiming that the scars represent both his failure in the physical fight and his success in taking down the ring overall. However, the scars are more so a representation, in Zade’s