Literary Elements
The central external conflict of the story is the struggle between the townspeople and this corrupt figure who is eventually confronted by Tom Harper.
Who is Thad Ruskin?
In Paragraph 11, The word describing the ragged, tired-looking stranger who is heading for the store, suggesting he's traveled for a long, painful time.
What is Despondently?
The name of the small, placid-looking town that Billy feels is "definitely, but definitely, haunted.
What is Mansfield?
The time of day when Billy is usually out fishing before being called home to his late dinner.
What is afternoon (or evening)?
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What is Tiktok?
Despite its placid appearance, the small, seemingly isolated town of Mansfield takes on this unsettling, supernatural quality because of the repeating events.
What is haunted?
In paragraph 6, the word used to describe Billy's journey to the store, feeling ___________ indicating fear or dread about what his father wants.
What is Apprehension?
This is the specific number of people who live in Mansfield, which Billy notes only requires one to be haunted.
What is 300?
Billy's earliest recurring action in the time loop, when he sits on the front porch and first senses the haunting.
What is sitting on the porch (or waking up)?
Used to describe something that is unimpressive or just okay, meaning it's below average.
What is Mid?
The recurring cycle of events, where Tom Harper confronts Thad Ruskin and is killed, functions as this literary technique, signaling to Billy that he is reliving the same day.
What is repetition or foreshadowing?
In paragraph 27,the word used when Tom Harper's body slipped to the ground, emphasizing that his fall was involuntary and lethal.
What is Topple?
This is the location where the main confrontations, and the story's time loop, repeatedly take place.
What is the front of the store?
The story's plot device, where Billy's realization constantly resets, makes him an example of this literary trope where a character is trapped in an infinitely repeating event.
What is time loop?
A term used to describe consuming an excessive amount of mind-numbing, extremely low-quality content online.
What is Brainrot?
The name of Billy Manners's town, Mansfield, creates this kind of irony when contrasted with the unsettling, haunted events happening there.
What is situational irony?
In paragraph 29, the adjective describing Billy's effort to cross the street faster—a effort—meaning his attempt was remarkably great or intense.
What is Prodigious?
This structure in Mansfield houses the Manners' store and the room where Billy attends school.
What is the father store?
What is the date that is repeatedly occurring?
What is July 16, 1932?
The practice of pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth to try and define the jawline.
What is Mewing?
This is the specific point of view used in "Showdown," which allows the narrator to share Billy Manners's private thoughts but not those of other characters.
What is Third-Person Limited?
The adverb used when Billy enters the house, late for dinner, and is acting cautiously or ____, knowing he's in trouble.
What is Warily?
The haunting of Mansfield is rooted in the community's collective feeling of this, related to their inaction during the murder.
What is guilt?
This is the specific moment in the day that the loop appears to reset, forcing the town to begin the cycle again.What is after the
What is after the confrontation/murder?
To overreact, have an emotional meltdown, or do something reckless because of frustration.
What is Crash Out?