In the short stories “Prey” by Matheson, “The Black Cat” by Poe and “The Feather Pillow” by Quiroga all have a common theme. They all depict the main elemental themes of violence, death and the predominance of grotesqueness. The authors integrate these elements in an attempt to use illustrative means to exemplify the horrors found inside the story itself. Gothic literature is fairly rampant with stories of death as many authors use that theme intrinsically throughout their stories. In the short story “Prey”, as the doll was trying to kill Amelia, she hid in the closet. As the doll continued hitting the door, she grabbed the knife and “the blade was twisted, jerked down, and she cried out” (Matheson 7). Similarly in the story “The Black
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In the story, “The Prey” Amelia’s doll was attacking her and then “there was something wedged beneath the index fingernail” (Matheson 3) which creates a vivid image in the readers’ mind. When the author writes “she shivered as she plucked it out” (Matheson 3) it emphasizes the revulsion she was experiencing. The grotesqueness in stories can visually create effects that captivate the reader. Edgar Allan Poe uses numerous examples of this in “The Black Cat”. When his wife acts in a way that he does not like he “withdrew [his] arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.” (Poe 4) The reader is most likely distraught by the visual effect of this act and the author’s depiction. The use of grotesque visual effects is a ploy used by authors to cause anxiety and fear in the minds of the readers. Quinoa used this strategy effectively in “The Feather Pillow”. He included something in the story that would stir fear in most people. When Alicia died and Jordan did not know why, he went back into the room to find out. “In the bottom of the pillow, among the feathers, slowly moving its hairy legs, there was a monstrous animal, alive, round and viscous” (Quiroga2).Quiroga utilizes this scare tactic to engage the reader and cause a physical reaction to his writing. The grotesque theme is one that typically captivates
In the story, “The Prey” Amelia’s doll was attacking her and then “there was something wedged beneath the index fingernail” (Matheson 3) which creates a vivid image in the readers’ mind. When the author writes “she shivered as she plucked it out” (Matheson 3) it emphasizes the revulsion she was experiencing. The grotesqueness in stories can visually create effects that captivate the reader. Edgar Allan Poe uses numerous examples of this in “The Black Cat”. When his wife acts in a way that he does not like he “withdrew [his] arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.” (Poe 4) The reader is most likely distraught by the visual effect of this act and the author’s depiction. The use of grotesque visual effects is a ploy used by authors to cause anxiety and fear in the minds of the readers. Quinoa used this strategy effectively in “The Feather Pillow”. He included something in the story that would stir fear in most people. When Alicia died and Jordan did not know why, he went back into the room to find out. “In the bottom of the pillow, among the feathers, slowly moving its hairy legs, there was a monstrous animal, alive, round and viscous” (Quiroga2).Quiroga utilizes this scare tactic to engage the reader and cause a physical reaction to his writing. The grotesque theme is one that typically captivates