History Literature / RoseMadder

* BigBad: Normal Daniels, Rose Daniels abusive and psychopathic husband and a crooked cop who she escapes from at the start of the novel and who searches for her using his skills as a police officer.

* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: After Norman runs into Rose Madder (whom he mistakes for Rose), she turns around and shows her true form a spider with bulging red fox eyes. She says to Norman, " Come here Norman, I want to talk to you and I want to do it right up close!]]

* ItsAllMyFault: Anna tells Rosie that battered woman have a tendency to blame themselves for everything. She tells a story about a woman she met, who blamed herself for the Challenger disaster, because she wrote "...not one but ''two'' letters supporting the manned space program".

A 1995 novel by Creator/StephenKing, and the final part of what some fans call [[ThematicSeries "the abused wife trilogy"]] and some others call "that phase in the 1990s where King became preoccupied with misogyny and feminism".

* ALoadOfBull: One lives in the Temple of the Bull (obviously). Later, [[spoiler: Norm gets a bull mask stuck to his head and becomes one.]]
* MagicalNegro: Dorcas, maybe literally.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Rose Madder's value system is... different.

* ItsAllMyFault: Anna tells Rosie that battered woman have a tendency to blame themselves for everything. She tells a story about a woman she met, who blamed herself for the Challenger disaster, because she wrote "ot one but ''two'' letters supporting the manned space program".

* SassyBlackWoman: Gertrude Kinshaw.
* ScryVsScry: Rosie and Norman spend a lot of the first half of the book doing this to each other. Especially notable since neither character is aware they're doing it. Rosie is just getting promptings from her instincts that save her without knowing it and Norman doesn't believe his detective skills are supernatural. See PsychicDreamsForEveryone.
* TheBadGuysAreCops: Since Rosie's major experience with police is Norman and some corrupt buddies of his, she's terrified of cops. She does eventually meet some ''good'' cops who take guys like Norman ''very'' personally.

* KillerCop: Norman. He kills at least five people during the book (including two cops, three people who helped Rose, and a hooker), and while he's disposing of a hooker he strangled, he mentally comments it's not the first time, implying previous murders. He's also strongly suspected of killing an inconvenient victim of his own police brutality who was taking him and his department to court over it.

* KillerCop: Norman. He kills at least five people during the book (including two cops), and while he's disposing of a hooker he strangled, he mentally comments it's not the first time, implying previous murders. He's also strongly suspected of killing an inconvenient victim of his own police brutality who was taking him and his department to court over it.

* SanitySlippage: After Rose leaves Norman, he begins to slowly go mad.

* BabiesEverAfter: Rose and Bill have a daughter after the whole adventure.

* ClingyCostume: [[spoiler: Norman should not have put the bull's head mask on. Though actually it's more like he's clinging to the mask once he's possessed by the Bull Erinyes.]]

* DoesNotLikeMen: Surprisingly most women from the shelter avert this. Rose Madder, however, thinks all men are beasts and at best can be tamed.

* PortalPicture.

* {{Doppelganger}}: Rose Madder looks awfully similar to Rose McClendon.

** The song "Really Rosey" sung by Music/CaroleKing and written by Creator/MauriceSendak is referenced through the book, incluiding being on the preface of the book.

** In chapter 1, Rose believes her life isn't real, and would wake up in a Creator/WaltDisney animated movie as one of the heroines.

* DomesticAbuse: Rose suffers this from Norman.
* {{Doppelganger}}: Rose Madder looks awfully similar to Rose Daniels.

--> I'm really Rosie/And I'm Rosie real/You better believe me/I'm a great big deal
** In chapter 1, Rosy believes her life isn't real, and would wake up in a Creator/WaltDisney animated movie as one of the heroines.

** The song "Really Rosey" sung by Creator/King and written by Creator/MauriceSendak is referenced through the book, incluiding being on the preface of the book.

** However, based on [[TheDarkTower other stories King has written]] and has [[Literature/TheTalisman contributed]] [[Literature/BlackHouse to]], it might be inferred that Rose Madder is Rosie's 'twinner' or an [[AlternateSelf alternate]] version of her, perhaps from another level of the Tower.

* ContinuityNod: "Wendy" refers to ''ka'' and the city of Lud a couple of times, putting the novel in TheDarkTower universe.