Used To Live Here Once By Jean Rhys

Improved Essays
Jean Rhys is notorious for her horror series of stories and novels. Many of her stories were inspired from the emotionally, dark, social encounters she derived from witnessing less than pleasant experiences in the Caribbean during the remnants of slavery. Her short story ‘Used to Live Here Once’ gives testament to her fantasy of death, melancholy and helpless despair. The story gives a personal viewpoint of how she perceived life after death, through the eyes of a lost and lonely young woman, who is unaware of her own tragic fate. The author gives a perspective of how a ghost views the living world. ‘Used to Live Here Once’ creates a mood of sadness and hopelessness, as her character seems to wander each day in the same path. The world makes …show more content…
Rhys’ use of symbolism creates a setting that was reflective, yet gloomy. Each object described has a symbolic purpose representing its literal counterpart. In other words, the world the writer creates in this short story seems to be alive, and each object has purpose. Thus, “She was standing by the river looking at the stepping stones and remembering each one" (Rhys, 2010). The stones represent the writer's past, as each time she steps on one, the stone brings her closer to the present; closer to her tragic reality. "The road was much wider than it used to be but the work had been done carelessly. The felled trees had not been cleared away and the bushes looked trampled. Yet it was the same road and she walked along feeling extraordinarily happy" (Rhys, 2010). The road symbolizes her journey through life. The widened road perhaps represents her growth, while the careless work done on the road seemingly represents the mistakes and regrets she had during her life's journey. “The road was much wider, but it had the same unfinished look." Rhys uses symbolism in the story's setting to show that along life's road, the girl's journey was cut short; death took away her opportunity to fulfill her …show more content…
The author's use of literary devices sets the tone for the theme of the story. The tone of the story creates a mood of irony, unresolved tension and sympathy. The writer expresses irony by describing the children's behavior whenever the girl waved to them, “she waved to them and called "Hello" but they did not answer her or turn their heads" (Rhys, 2010). The writer creates a mood of unresolved tension as expressed in her sarcastic impression of the children in the story, " Very fair children, as Europeans in the West Indies so often are: as if the white blood is asserting itself against all odds" (Rhys, 2010). The story concludes with a combination of these moods, allowing the reader to become sympathetic of the girl who has come to the realization that she is no longer amongst the living, but have become a wandering ghost, oblivious and forgotten in the world, " That was the first time she knew" (Rhys,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    “Eveline’s Visitant” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and “The Dead” by James Joyce are both short stories that show strong examples of a “haunting”. A haunting is something or someone from a past time that reoccurs in appearance or in thought, usually bad or regrettable. Although both stories represent a haunting throughout the story, each author efficiently portrays two separate types of a haunting: one being a ghost, and one being a past. Braddon’s short story “Eveline’s Visitant” tells a tale of a young man in France named Hector.…

    • 1507 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1. Much of “Brownies” is very funny. What role does humor have in the story—and how does it relate to the decidedly unhumorous ending? The story is very humorous.…

    • 212 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Warnings are key elements utilized by some authors in stories in order to engage the audience in continuing to read to the story. Furthermore, warnings can take form of key elements of plot such as foreshadowing and act as literary devices such as mood. The “Stolen Party” written by Liliana Hecker, uses foreshadowing to communicate Rosaura’s different status prior to the people invited to the party. The “Empty Amulet” written by Paul Bowles, uses mood to communicate Habiba’s encounter of conflicts in spite of her development into a free woman across the story. Nonetheless, Hecker uses foreshadowing, whilst Bowles uses mood as means of warning and therefore they compare and contrast.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The road symbolizes how even though the college appears to be educating and raising the black community to a higher level of equality than before that as one dives deeper and continues on the road that they soon find the evils hidden within the college and in reality how the college does not truly help black people gain equality but instill a higher level of systematic oppression upon…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raina Telgemeier's Ghosts

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ghosts “Ghosts” is a graphic novel written by Raina Telgemeier, an author who is also known for other popular books like “Smile”, “Drama”, “The Baby- Sitters Club” and “Sisters”. This book takes place in present-day Bahía de la Luna in California; a cold and gloomy place where the sun only shines for about sixty-two days in a year. Cat, or Catrina, is a snappy sixth-grader who is terrified of ghosts and other spooky things. She has to leave her friends behind and move to northern California since her sister Maya, has cystic fibrosis that affects her breathing and digesting. While living in Bahía de la Luna, Cat meets Carlos, a boy of her age who gives ghost tours to people.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Symbolism In A Worn Path

    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages

    A Worn path by Eudora Welty is a short story that emphasizes the natural symbolism of the surrounding. A worn path is full of symbolic things. Symbols is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an idea. For example, the cross represents the Christianity and the belief of people and the sacrifice god made. Symbols are used.…

    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls talked about her struggles in life, and I would like to explain some of the things I have endured in my life. I haven’t had the hardest life, but it hasn’t been the easiest either. I will be enlightening the readers about how I got through alcoholism in my life, and learning how to be an adult at a really young age. I will also be explaining what effect each person in my family has had on my life. My life relates to The Glass Castle because of what I have gone through so far in my life.…

    • 1529 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism Within “The Veldt” Within literature, symbolism is used by assigning symbolic meanings to objects, settings, or actions to represent an idea or characteristic. In the short story “The Veldt,” Ray Bradbury uses various symbols within the text that allow the readers to identify what the author is trying to tell them. The symbols allow the readers to define the character of Wendy and Peter and the relationship they have with their parents and the house, a broader understanding of the setting and to understand the story’s theme. Wendy and Peter are the children of George and Lydia. The relationship they have isn’t as affectionate as it should be, since George installed machinery that would take care of them all, the children grew up learning that they would have everything handed to them and wouldn’t…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Molly is overlooked as a “gothic” girl that’s very lonely. She allows ghost to replace living things in order to have the feeling of belonging there. “The ghosts whispered to me, telling me to go on.” Molly builds these imaginary characters so she can also feel accompanied.”…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In Lisa Parks and James Schwoch “Introduction” to Down to Earth, it shows the impact of global imagery. Space exploration began to increase more and more, and satellites were thought of to create world peace and stability, but also increased military power. In most of these readings, there is a connection between military power and the development of images. This increased of military power caused for satellite imagery to become a growing movement, especially after 9/11. Due to the production of satellites, television was introduced into everyday life.…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The hardest part of growing up is letting go of what you were used to, and moving on with something you are not”(Kush and Wizdom). When a child must grow up and become independent, they are subjected to internal conflict. They must muster up confidence in themselves to become an adult who is a dependable part of society and the world. This can make way for feelings of sadness as one realizes their childhood has culminated and they must leave irresponsible, childlike traits behind. In “Bangs” by Jodi Bolfe, “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, all feature children growing up, trying to find their way.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Strangers That Came to Town” by Ambrose Flack presents the theme of bigotry, prejudice and explores a progression to self-empowerment. Andy and Tom’s decision to poison the Duvtich’s fish is extremely insensitive and irresponsible, and so their father’s decision to punish his boys in the way that he does is suitable. Firstly, because of their capricious action, Andy and Tom should face the equivalent consequences. Even if it’s harsh, the boys’ father has to discipline them in a way where they learn from their mistakes and know to never do such a cruel thing again. Next, although it isn’t relevant to helping Duvitch’s, the way Andy and Tom’s father punishes his children allows for them to build their character and toughen up.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism in the works of literature refers to the use of objects, people, animals, and situations that have other meaning than the literal one used in the story. It creates a certain emotion or mood in the story making the reader understand it better. Symbolism is widely applied in the story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. This paper will explore symbolism in the story Everyday Use which includes the house, quilt, yard and characteristics of some characters.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Because I could not stop for Death” “Because I could not stop for Death-He kindly stopped for me-” the first two opening lines of Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death”. Just like many of Dickinson’s other poems this one focuses on the aspect of death and what happens to us after we die. The poem starts out with death driving a carriage who stops to pick up the author. They then begin to drive along a road very leisurely and the author recalls all these different images she saw along the way. They passed by a school where children were outside playing in a circle and as they continues on they would pass by fields of gazing grain then they would finally pass the setting sun.…

    • 1484 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The symbolic analysis of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about an actual and figurative road. Some of these roads are the ones that are driven on, and others are the roads that are taken throughout life. It is found that for every road taken, there is one that is not. Whether it ends up being a wrong turn or not, these choices or “roads” can change lives significantly. In the end, wonder will always surround the roads not taken.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays