The Taser in Not What She Seems: A Symbol of Lethal Deception and Abuse of Power
The Taser as a Symbol of Lethal Deception and Abuse of Power in Not What She Seems
The Taser in Yasmin Angoe's Not What She Seems begins as a seemingly ordinary object—a self-defense tool resting on a desk—and transforms into the novel's most potent symbol of lethal deception and institutional abuse of power. Its journey through the narrative traces a disturbing arc: a murder weapon disguised as a non-lethal device, a piece of stolen evidence that becomes inadmissible, and finally a tool of coercion turned against the person who sought to expose its true purpose.
What the Taser Literally Is
A Taser is a conducted electrical weapon designed to incapacitate a target through electric shock. In the novel, Dr. Weigert specifies that the device used on Montavious Brodie Sr. would have to be high grade with high voltage and applied multiple times without letup to create the level of pacemaker failure that occurred. This technical detail matters: the Taser is not inherently lethal, but in Faye Arden's hands, it becomes a precision instrument of murder. She targets Granddad's chest, where his pacemaker sits, exploiting his medical vulnerability. The weapon's design—intended for non-lethal incapacitation—becomes the perfect cover for a killing that initially appears to be a natural heart attack.
The Taser's Recurrence and Transformation
The Taser appears at critical junctures, each time with shifting meaning:
The Prologue: Murder Disguised as Natural Death. Faye shocks Montavious repeatedly, targeting his pacemaker. The weapon's non-lethal reputation makes the murder nearly invisible. The autopsy initially attributes his death to heart disease and pacemaker malfunction, with the four dark markings on his chest deemed not significant by the examiner.
Chapter 14: The Object of Suspicion. Jac spots the Taser on Faye's desk during their confrontation over the stolen clock. Faye hastily hides it under papers—a small gesture that plants the seed of suspicion. The Taser here is still just a desk accessory, but its concealment hints at guilt.
Chapter 16: The Medical Explanation. Dr. Weigert's explanation of electromagnetic interference transforms the Taser from a mundane object into a plausible murder weapon. Jac's realization—that someone needed to turn it on and press it on his chest over and over—marks the moment the Taser becomes evidence in her mind.
Chapter 20: The Confirmation. The autopsy report shows four dark markings consistent with Taser prongs. Jac concludes Faye killed her grandfather. The Taser is now, in Jac's eyes, the smoking gun.
Chapter 22: The Theft. Jac steals the Taser from Faye's office during the gala. Here the Taser becomes a symbol of Jac's desperate gamble—her belief that physical evidence will overcome Faye's social power.
Chapter 25: The Reversal. At the police station, Faye claims she reported the Taser missing. Chief Linwood orders Jac to return it. The Taser, which Jac hoped would vindicate her, becomes the instrument of her humiliation. Faye's performance as a victim—vacillating between honey and a trembling flower—demonstrates how institutional power can flip the meaning of evidence.
Chapter 26: The Inadmissible Truth. The Armchair Detectives explain that the stolen Taser would be inadmissible in court. You can't commit a crime to show someone has committed one too. The Taser's evidentiary value is destroyed by the very act of taking it.
Chapter 43: The Weapon Turned Against Jac. Faye uses the Taser on Jac, electrocuting her after killing Conrad. The weapon that killed Granddad now targets the person who tried to expose the truth. This final use completes the Taser's symbolic arc: it is not merely a murder weapon but a tool of silencing.
Character Connections
Faye Arden: The Taser is an extension of her deceptive nature. She uses a weapon designed for non-lethal force to commit murder, exploiting both Granddad's medical condition and the weapon's reputation. Her ability to flip the narrative—claiming the Taser was stolen, performing victimhood—shows how she weaponizes perception itself.
Jacinda Brodie: The Taser represents her doomed attempt to fight Faye on Faye's terms. By stealing it, Jac compromises its evidentiary value and hands Faye a counter-narrative. The Taser becomes a symbol of Jac's isolation—even her best friend Sawyer warns her against the plan.
Montavious Brodie Sr.: The Taser's first victim. His death is the catalyst for the entire investigation. The weapon's use against him—targeting his pacemaker—shows how knowledge of a person's vulnerabilities can be weaponized.
Theme Connections
The Taser connects to several of the novel's central themes:
Lethal Deception: The Taser's non-lethal reputation makes it the perfect murder weapon. Faye's crime is invisible because the weapon is not supposed to kill. This mirrors the novel's broader concern with appearances versus reality—Faye presents as a gracious innkeeper while being a serial killer.
The Cost of Truth-Seeking: Jac's pursuit of truth through the Taser backfires spectacularly. Her theft of the weapon, meant to prove Faye's guilt, instead discredits her and gives Faye ammunition. The Armchair Detectives' warning that she is now in Faye's line of fire captures the personal cost of Jac's quest.
Abuse of Power: The police station scene is the Taser's most damning moment. Faye's social standing, her relationship with Mayor Tate, and her performance of victimhood override physical evidence. The chief's demand that Jac return the weapon shows how institutional power can suppress truth.
Good Intentions as a Path to Destruction: Jac's intention—to bring her grandfather's killer to justice—leads her to break into Faye's office, steal the Taser, and ultimately be electrocuted with it. The novel's epigraph, The road to hell is paved with good intentions, applies directly to Jac's actions.
Study Questions
1. How does the Taser's design as a non-lethal weapon make it an effective murder weapon in the novel?
Answer: The Taser's reputation for non-lethal incapacitation allows Faye to kill Montavious without raising suspicion. The initial autopsy attributes his death to heart disease and pacemaker malfunction. The four dark markings on his chest are deemed insignificant by the examiner. Only Dr. Weigert's explanation of electromagnetic interference—and the specific detail that a high-grade Taser applied multiple times could cause pacemaker failure—reveals the true cause. The weapon's benign reputation is itself a form of deception.
2. Why does Jac's theft of the Taser undermine her case against Faye?
Answer: The Armchair Detectives explain that the stolen Taser would be inadmissible in court. As one member puts it, you can't commit a crime to show someone has committed one too. Jac's breaking and entering and theft compromise the evidence's integrity. Moreover, Faye preemptively claims she reported the Taser missing, flipping the narrative: Jac becomes the thief, not the truth-seeker. The chief's demand that Jac return the weapon completes the reversal.
3. What does the Taser's journey from Faye's desk to Jac's body reveal about power dynamics in Brook Haven?
Answer: The Taser's trajectory mirrors the power imbalance between Faye and Jac. On Faye's desk, it is a symbol of her control—she can conceal it, claim it stolen, and use it without consequence. In Jac's hands, it becomes a liability: stolen property, inadmissible evidence, a reason for the chief to side with Faye. Finally, when Faye uses it on Jac, the weapon completes its circuit: the person who tried to expose the truth is silenced by the same tool that killed her grandfather.
4. How does the Taser connect to the novel's epigraph, The road to hell is paved with good intentions?
Answer: Jac's good intentions—to avenge her grandfather and expose his killer—lead her to commit crimes that destroy her credibility. Her theft of the Taser, meant to be the decisive piece of evidence, becomes the reason Faye can dismiss her claims. The weapon that Jac hoped would bring justice instead brings her humiliation, isolation, and eventually electrocution. The Taser embodies the novel's warning that well-meaning actions can pave the way to destructive outcomes.
For further exploration, see the book overview, the cost of truth-seeking theme, good intentions as a path to destruction, and the character pages for Faye Arden and Jacinda Brodie.