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Ardila
Tomas Ardila
Mrs. McCabe
ENG3U
18 October 2020
Activity 5: Essay
Manipulation is a human action used to obtain something in one’s favour; it may be a
concise lie or a complete scheme, it defines as, “to change by artful or unfair means so as to
serve one’s purpose” (Webster). In Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, manipulation and misdirection
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are present in every chapter of the novel. The author manipulates the audience with the
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characters within the plot to demonstrate the ease of deceiving through media, books, and other
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people; Amy uses premeditated details to work the case to her advantage, the author misdirects
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the reader by antagonizing the husband, and Nick’s misdirecting the media are examples of
manipulation within the novel.

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The wife, Amy Elliot, is learned to be a patient woman as she lays out all the possibilities
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and advantages she can use against her husband, leading up to her disappearance to make Nick
Dunne (husband) the prime suspect. Amy continued the tradition of the anniversary scavenger
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hunt for Nick on their fifth anniversary, even though she would disappear. Nick followed her
clues; he found himself in places that the couple shared a moment at; Nick was unable to identify
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that his presence in those places at those precise times dug him deeper as a suspect for his wife’s
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disappearance. The author writes, “We found Amy ʼs purse. On the banks of the river, south of
the steamboat landing. Our guess: Someone wanted to make it look like itʼd been tossed in the
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river by the perp on the way out of town, heading over the bridge into Illinois” (252). Amy
purposely dropped her purse in the river to stage that her body got thrown into the water. One of
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her scavenger hunt clues brought Nick to Hannibal (the town the bag is found in), leaving Nick
in a difficult situation, unable to justify his presence in Hannibal that week. Amy also used her
pregnancy to blame her disappearance on Nick. She had told Noelle Hawthorne (friend/pawn)
that Nick hated the idea of a baby and starting a family to fix their marriage; to think of Amy’s
murder weeks into pregnancy as a coincidence is up to the reader and the citizens of Carthage.
One more detail of Amy’s scheme was her manipulation of a whole town. The book says,
“Iʼ ve done girlsʼ nights out and charity walks, Iʼ ve cooked casseroles for his dad and
helped sell tickets for raffles. I tapped the last of my money to give to Nick and Go so
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they could buy the bar they ʼ ve always wanted, and I even put the check inside a card
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shaped like a mug of beer—Cheers to You!—and Nick just gave a flat begrudging thanks.
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I donʼt know what to do. Iʼm trying.” (121).
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At this point in the novel, the reader feels sympathy for Elliot; it seems as if she is trying hard to
adapt to the new life Nick has cast on her. Unfortunately, those feelings of pity disappear with
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her when the true intentions of the good deeds surface. Amy manipulates everyone to think of
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her as a great woman, perfect wife, good friend, and caring neighbour, enough to create sadness
and raise awareness for when her plan commences.

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The relationship between Amy and Nick has a base structure of manipulation; Amy
showed a “cool girl” personality to win Nick’s heart. Throughout the first half of the book, the
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author frequently foreshadowed suspicions towards Nick for Amy’s disappearance.

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Characterizing to be the perfect suspect, Nick always reassures the reader of his inability to be a
good husband or put effort into fixing the marriage, the author states,
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“I opened the next clue, read it, tucked it in my pocket, then headed back home. I knew
where to go, but I wasnʼt ready yet. I couldnʼt handle another compliment, another kind
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word from my wife, another olive branch. My feelings for her were veering too quickly
from bitter to sweet” (110).
Phrases like those were repeated by Nick incriminating himself in the reader’s eyes; a caring
husband worried about his wife’s disappearance would not be upset at the fact his attitude
towards his wife is shifting from hate to love. Amy was narrating the past through her journal,
continuously reminding the reader of Nick’s imperfections and maltreatment of her, again the
author creating that sense of pity for Amy. The latter has been put through so much by her
uncaring husband. Her journal contains evidence of Nick’s inattentiveness in the relationship: not
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remembering select dates, choosing his co-workers over Amy (even on important dates),
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emphasizing the time he physically hurt her, habitual lies and more. The author used the journal
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to misdirect the reader to believe Nick was the best fitting suspect; further into the novel, the
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reader concludes that the misdirection by Amy’s Journal took part in Amy’s scheme and added to
the theme experience of the reader. Plenty of other characters in the novel had a role in
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antagonizing Nick, Noelle (Amy’s friend) who was fed lies by Amy to incriminate Nick and later
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to share her biased opinion with the authorities, Ellen Abbot, the talk show host that specializes
in women’s cases of abuse, automatically blames Nick. Flynn writes, “Iʼm sorry, Shawna, but
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this photo is just … I donʼt know a better word than disgusting. This is not how an innocent man
looks …” (162). The author’s strategy of placing a significant influence, like a celebrity with a
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big fan base like Abbot, makes the reader question Nick’s innocence even more. Lastly, the
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author adding Nick’s mistress to the plot reassured Flynn, the reader was going to blame Nick,
cheating to antagonize Nick misdirected the reader to ignore all other possible suspects.
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Once Nick realized that Amy was framing him, he took his awareness to his advantage
and used the “heartbroken husband” appearance to win over the public and lure Amy back to
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avoid charges. His first public statement was recorded on a phone camera at a bar while he was
intoxicated. Dunne said, “My wife, she just happens to be the coolest girl Iʼ ve ever met. How
many guys can say that? I married the coolest girl I ever met.” (298). After the release of the
interview, the public now had a reason to sympathize with Nick. As Amy watched the video
herself, it manipulated her into thinking the words were sincere. They made her believe the
scheme taught him something giving her thoughts of returning, which will prove Nick’s
innocence. Tanner Bolt, Nick Dunne’s lawyer, specialized in cases similar to Nick’s; Blot
advised him on what should be done regarding the media and the authorities. Nick is
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recommended to keep his relationship with the Elliot’s on good terms, when and when not to
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smile in public, how big his smile should be, his posture as he walks out. Since Tanner Bolt has
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experience with Nick-like cases, he played the people and the media in Nick’s favour. Dunne
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had another important interview with Sharon Schieber where he says,
“Amy, I love you. You are the best woman I have ever known. You are more than I
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deserve, and if you come back, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. We
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will find a way to put all this horror behind us, and I will be the best man in the world to
you. Please come home to me, Amy.” (351).

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Again, Nick uses the media to send a manipulative message to Amy, pretending he wants her to
come because he is upset and misses her while the real reason is hidden. It is easier for him if she
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comes back, and he learns nothing except for the stress he has been through for the days she has
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been gone.
To conclude, manipulation is a big theme in the novel; it makes up the book’s plot. As
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the audience reads the novel, the manipulation occurs not only in the plot with the characters, but
later the reader realizes they have been subject to manipulation as well. Unaware of this
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manipulation until more than halfway through the book, this teaches the reader not to let the
media and false information misdirect one from the truth. Gillian Flynn intelligently executes
her manipulation theme, using Amy’s planned scheme, Nick frequently being antagonized, and
Nick’s appearance in the media to prove how manipulation is a dangerous weapon in society.
The author states in the beginning in the book that the events presented in the novel are entirely
fictional and that any similarities to actual events are a complete coincidence. Informing the
reader that the manipulation that goes on in the novel is possible to happen to anyone, being
aware of manipulation is essential.
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Bibliography
Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl. First Edition ed., New York, Crown Publishers, 2012.
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Ardila

Manipulation is a human action used to obtain something in one’s favour; it may be a

manipulation within the novel.

and raise awareness for when her plan commences.

author frequently foreshadowed suspicions towards Nick for Amy’s disappearance.

from bitter to sweet” (110).

you. Please come home to me, Amy.” (351).

aware of manipulation is essential.

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