How to Kill Your Family

In prison, Grace makes a wooden spoon into which she carves the initials of the six people she has murdered, confident that “nobody would look that closely” to be able to understand what the carvings mean (87). She then gives the spoon to Kelly when her cellmate admires it. This spoon serves as a motif that points to The Illusion of Control and the link between Pride and Miscalculation. Grace is certain no one will even attempt to decipher the “hieroglyphics” she carves into the spoon, though she admits doing so was “Not a particularly sophisticated move” (87). She’s right that it’s unlikely anyone would realize the meaning of the tiny carvings, but this does not mean it’s impossible, especially because Grace believes she is in control of her relationship with Kelly: She reads Kelly’s journal but never guesses that Kelly reads hers, and so she assumes it’s a coincidence when Kelly mentions Sassy Girl, never suspecting that Kelly knows of Grace’s link to the company. Grace’s pride and arrogance lead her to underestimate Kelly and lose control of their relationship; the wooden spoon highlights the smug superiority that leads Grace to misjudge her cellmate, leaving herself vulnerable to further loss of control.