Polaroid Photographs: Capturing the Unseen in Coffin Moon

A Concrete Token of the Supernatural

In Keith Rosson's Coffin Moon, the Polaroid photographs function as the first tangible proof that John Varley is not an ordinary man. Taken by Joanne Shaw during a tense encounter at the Last Call Tavern, the instant photos capture the bikers and Varley in stark flash—but Varley himself appears as a burst of gray-white smoke with two piercing white holes where his eyes should be. This visual anomaly transforms a simple snapshot into a symbol of hidden monstrosity, denial, and the irreversible pull toward violence.

Where the Polaroids Appear

The most significant recurrence of the Polaroids occurs across several key chapters:

Chapter 8 (Chapter 10 in the book’s numbering): Detective Scoggins shows Duane Minor the photos during a police interview. Duane sees “something like a burst of gray-white smoke” where Varley’s head and hand should be, and realizes it is no chemical defect—it is Varley’s true nature refusing to be fixed on film.
Chapter 2 (Chapter 13): Duane, after a night of drinking and fighting, tosses the Polaroids onto Julia’s bed and confesses, “That guy there… with a cloud where his face should be? John Varley’s his name. He’s the one that killed Heidi.” This moment forces Julia Minor to accept the supernatural truth and sets both characters on a collision course with Varley.
Chapter 5 (Chapter 29): Months later, Duane calls Scoggins from a pay phone. Scoggins tests his identity by asking about the photos, and Duane recalls the image of Varley’s face “filled with smoke.” The Polaroids remain a touchstone for the investigation, linking past and present.
Chapter 46 (Chapter 11): Duane breaks into Lucky’s (the renamed Last Call) and retrieves a shoebox containing “family Polaroids”—a different set, these are ordinary snapshots of his life with Heidi and Julia. Their contrast with the Varley Polaroids underscores the loss of normalcy and the haunting presence of the supernatural.

How the Meaning Evolves

Initially, the Polaroids appear as confusing evidence—Duane himself thinks, “a fuckup, a warp in the chemicals.” But as the story progresses, their meaning deepens:

From bafflement to confirmation: The photos shatter Duane’s skepticism. He can no longer dismiss Varley as merely a violent criminal; the image proves something inhuman.
From evidence to catalyst: Once Julia sees the photos, she becomes fully committed to the hunt. The Polaroids are no longer a passive record; they actively propel the plot toward revenge.
From singular to symbolic: By the end, the Polaroids come to represent the irreparable rupture in Duane’s life. The family Polaroids he retrieves in Chapter 46 evoke the warmth he lost, while the Varley Polaroids embody the cold, insatiable hunger that now defines his existence.

Character Connections

Duane Minor: The Polaroids are both a burden and a compass. He carries them initially as proof, then as a reminder of his mission. When he finally retrieves the family photos, he is attempting to salvage his humanity.
Julia Minor: Seeing the photos transforms her grief into directed rage. She accepts the reality of vampires and takes on the role of avenger, eventually drinking Varley’s blood and becoming a creature herself.
John Varley: His inability to be photographed normally underscores his liminal state—neither alive nor dead, neither fully human nor fully ghost. The smoky image becomes his signature.
Joanne Shaw: She is the photographer, the one who inadvertently captures the uncanny. Her act of taking the photos is her final contribution to the story before her own death.
Detective Scoggins: He uses the Polaroids as leverage, trying to force Duane to talk. For him, they represent a case that defies rational explanation.

Theme Connections

The Polaroids resonate with several major themes of the novel:

Revenge as a Hollow Transaction: The photos fuel Duane’s vengeance, but when he finally kills Ronald (a vampire who served Varley), he feels “nothing.” The Polaroids are a constant reminder that revenge will not restore what was lost.
Family and Protective Bonds: Duane shows the photos to Julia to include her in the truth. This shared knowledge bonds them, but also drags a thirteen-year-old into a world of monstrosity.
Transformation and Monstrosity: Varley’s smoky image literalizes his inhumanity. Later, both Duane and Julia undergo transformations, and the Polaroids become a visual record of the line between human and monster.
Addiction and Sobriety: Duane’s obsession with the photos mirrors his alcoholic cravings—both are powerful, destructive forces he cannot escape. The retrieval of the family Polaroids occurs as he pours a beer he cannot drink, linking the two addictions.
Violence and Its Consequences: The Polaroids are direct evidence of Varley’s violence. They also foreshadow the violence that Duane and Julia will commit, becoming a chain of cause and effect.

Study Questions

1. What do the Polaroids reveal about John Varley’s nature?
The photos show Varley as a being that cannot be captured on film—his face and hand appear as smoke with empty holes for eyes. This reveals he is not fully human, hinting at his vampire-like existence. The image confirms the supernatural framework of the novel and explains why no fingerprints or photographs exist in police records.

2. How do the Polaroids function as a plot device?
They serve as the first irrefutable evidence that Varley is more than a man. They convince Julia of the truth, push Duane from grief into action, and provide Scoggins with a thread to follow. Without them, the narrative might stall in doubt; with them, the hunt becomes inevitable.

3. In what way does Duane’s relationship with the Polaroids change over the course of the story?
At first, Duane is confused and frightened by the image. He uses it to persuade Julia, then carries it as a talisman of his mission. Later, in Chapter 46, he retrieves the family Polaroids, signaling a longing for the life before Varley. The contrast between the two sets shows his evolution from denial to acceptance to a desperate attempt at reclaiming humanity.

4. Why are the family Polaroids that Duane retrieves in Chapter 46 significant in relation to the Varley Polaroids?
The family Polaroids represent warmth, normalcy, and a past that is now forever out of reach. They show Heidi, Julia, and happier times. In the same scene, Duane cannot drink a beer—another symbol of his lost life. Together, the two sets of photos bookend his journey: the Varley Polaroids pull him into a world of violence, while the family Polaroids remind him of what is worth saving.