"The first email was from <[email protected]>: I HOPE YOU SUCK COCK IN THE SLAMMER YOU FUCKING COMMIE PIG. He filed it in the 'intelligent criticism' folder." (190)
Comic Relief gives us the pleasure of a quick laugh in an otherwise dark or dramatic moment. Put yourself in the characters shoes, and it may be difficult, if not impossible, to come up with a quirky one-liner, let alone say it aloud, but comic relief reminds us that we are in fact witnessing a story second-hand; it reminds us that we aren't in a situation as dire as the characters are. In the case of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," comic relief allows us to get a more 3D image of the characters whom are facing mystery, abuse, rape, and murder. The use of comic relief reminds us that there is more to these characters than the situation at hand, it suggests that there are times when these characters are in fact people who have more to their lives than the burdens at hand.