Literature Analysis: Three A.M.

Summary:  Three A.M. by Steven John takes place in a city of an indeterminable time near our own.  Following a lethal pandemic that killed a majority of the population, a dense mist has descended on the city.  This mist is nearly impenetrable, and quickly warps society.  The result is a world characterized primarily by its grayness.  Citizens keep to themselves, and all quietly fear what lies in the mist.  Thomas Vale, the protagonist, is a private detective that takes the stereotype to the extreme.  At the story's start, he is characterized mostly by his cynical gruffness, as well as frequent abuse of alcohol and pills.  For some reason unbeknownst to him, he wakes up at 3:00 A.M. almost every night.  The story is centered around a case given to him by a woman named Rebecca Ayers.  While the details are slim, and he rightfully has suspicions, the pay is good enough that he doesn't care.  Vale is quickly finds himself entangled in a complex conspiracy far bigger than him.

Analysis:
In order to somewhat mimic the AP exam, I will be writing a more focused analysis than usual.  Instead a bullet-pointed list of broad literary techniques, I'll be focusing on just a few while breaking down a more narrow part of the book.  However, it's more of a journal than an essay.  There is a specific topic in mind, but I'll keep writing until I feel that topic has been sufficiently explored, no matter if it hits upon everything necessary for the AP exam.  This also means I'm throwing some essay "rules" out the window -- the focus here is purely on the thought process.

The setting is Three A.M. is arguably the most important element of the story.  In a few literature analyses sophomore year, I noted that in fictional works that touch upon science fiction or fantasy elements, the setting is the core of the story.  Before there can be an epic tale, there must be an epic world.  Three A.M. is not strictly science fiction, but certainly shares some characteristics.  The difference lies in how the world was created.  A typical fantasy/sci-fi story has a top down design.  The world is created before any stories can exist.  The happenings of this world occur "naturally" and it is almost as if the author is simply recording events of history.  Three A.M. on the other hand, has a bottom up design.  The author has a specific story or message he wants to convey, and so creates a setting that will facilitate it.  So, how does the setting facilitate the message?

Three A.M. is in many ways a modern reinterpretation of crime noir.  Thomas Vale is a hard-detective with a drinking/smoking/pill problem.  He's supremely jaded, and seems to want nothing more than the money that will pay for his next binge.  On this level, having the world blanketed in mist is a convenient way to set the mood right off the bat.  When one imagines the quintessential private eye sifting his way through a city, it is never in daylight.  In the world Steven John created, there is never any daylight.  There is inherent mystery in the mist as well.  With such a sensory depriving environment, simply thinking about what lies twenty feet ahead is as much as mystery as anything.

The result of this is a neutral world with high-strung undertones of tension.  It is a similar phenomenon to the setting created by dystopian novels.  Everybody pretends that the world is all okay, but there is an ever-present danger menacing society.  On the streets, denizens keep their eyes locked on either the ground or the navigational lamps -- anywhere but at the other people on the street.  In private, people break down into resentfulness, depression, or both.  A particularly striking scene is Thomas Vale's visit to Heller, one of his few friends in the world (although given the love/hate relationship, Heller might be unaware of this himself).  Heller, who appears at first to be a general low life, puts on a cassette of Chopin.  Vale breaks down into tears of sentimentality, and admits to having avoided music since the mist descended because of its effect on him.  This presents an extreme contrast to how he acts out on the streets.  On one hand, the reader is shown a gruff detective who is as likely to slam back drinks as heads.  On the other, he is dealing with a crippling identity crisis.  The mist is shrouding, both in a physical and psychological sense.

Earlier, I wrote that Three A.M. may not strictly be science fiction.  This is because it has a fairly ambiguous time frame.  It is evidently close to modern times, but there is no clear indication of whether it is set in the near future or is an alternate timeline of the not-so-distant past.  There is technology present, but besides the use of cassette tapes and home telephones, there is nothing that definitively sets the time.  Once again, this points back the motif of foggy mystery.  In fact, the mists are actually the only plot element that separates the story from our reality.  Every differing aspect (the navigating lamps, abandoned buildings, reduced population, etc.) is a direct result of either the mist or the ambiguous lethal pandemic that heralded it in.  This apparently small change in the world cascades into a totally warped society.  Once again, this is mirrored in the plot.  Thomas Vale (also, note the similarity to "veil") accepts a single job that quickly sends his life spiraling.

In a world defined by grayness, it only makes sense that Three A.M. contains the most common gray area: morality.  The book is packed full of characters whose moral inclinations and actions seem to be at odds with each other.  Thomas Vale has himself convinced that the only reason for his employment as a private detective is the pay.  However, it is likely that helping others is an element of the job he enjoys -- even if he denies the fact to himself.  Practically all the likable characters (I hesitate to use the term "good guys") are sympathetic criminals.  A good example is the owner of the drug store who provides Vale's pills.  He is, in the most literal sense of the word, a drug dealer.  However, he is constantly shown telling Vale he should stop, and even attempts to guilt him out of buying at points.  It gets to the point that he simply turns down payment for the pills.

The idea of a world of extremes masked by a uniform tone pervades all aspects of the story, from the characters to the plot, and even the history.  It both enables physical plot elements (such as the tension created by low visibility) and a source for themes and motifs.  Despite being a relatively small change in the world, the heavy mist enables the entire plot.