Dawson Love
Mrs. Cox
English 3
11 November 2017
Gothic Elements Essay
Gothic literature contains elements that can be disturbing to readers. It is not uncommon to find stories that contain violence, death, pain, monsters, or curses. The themes of Grotesqueness and Mystery propel the short stories: “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, and “The Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga into what is known as gothic literature. The recurring theme of Grotesqueness is evident in these gothic short stories with vile depictions of gore and decay. Irving’s short story, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, the protagonist, Tom, stumbles across a tied up apron in the forest. Upon further inspection, “Tom seized the checked …show more content…
Found nothing but a heart and liver tied up in it!” (Irving 328). Tom was rather pleased about his wife's death instead of being repulsed by finding his wife’s body parts. Another example of Grotesqueness can be found in Horacio Quiroga’s short story, “The Feather Pillow”. Quiroga casts an imaginary monster as the evil and demented antagonist. Alicia’s husband and doctors are in a state of despair because they are unable to stop her imminent demise. After Alicia dies, a parasite was discovered inside her feather pillow that had “...stealthily applied its mouth-its snout, rather-to her temples, sucking out her blood” (Quiroga 2). The last example of Grotesqueness is in William Faulkner's short story, “A Rose For Emily.” Emily Grierson is an old lady who never married. The townspeople thought that Emily would marry Homer Barron;
Mrs. Cox
English 3
11 November 2017
Gothic Elements Essay
Gothic literature contains elements that can be disturbing to readers. It is not uncommon to find stories that contain violence, death, pain, monsters, or curses. The themes of Grotesqueness and Mystery propel the short stories: “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, and “The Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga into what is known as gothic literature. The recurring theme of Grotesqueness is evident in these gothic short stories with vile depictions of gore and decay. Irving’s short story, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, the protagonist, Tom, stumbles across a tied up apron in the forest. Upon further inspection, “Tom seized the checked …show more content…
Found nothing but a heart and liver tied up in it!” (Irving 328). Tom was rather pleased about his wife's death instead of being repulsed by finding his wife’s body parts. Another example of Grotesqueness can be found in Horacio Quiroga’s short story, “The Feather Pillow”. Quiroga casts an imaginary monster as the evil and demented antagonist. Alicia’s husband and doctors are in a state of despair because they are unable to stop her imminent demise. After Alicia dies, a parasite was discovered inside her feather pillow that had “...stealthily applied its mouth-its snout, rather-to her temples, sucking out her blood” (Quiroga 2). The last example of Grotesqueness is in William Faulkner's short story, “A Rose For Emily.” Emily Grierson is an old lady who never married. The townspeople thought that Emily would marry Homer Barron;