Through Nelly’s story we learn of his struggles, and at times feel sympathy for him. But the complex character, Heathcliff, never fails to disappoint and surprise reader with his cruel actions. From the beginning of the novel, Heathcliff is made out to be a villain. Emily Bronte describes his “black eyes,” to show the stealth of the character. Later in the novel, we learn of Heathcliff’s childhood and his struggles with Hindly as well as love for Catherine.
‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ Argues without Argument ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ is a complex short story told though the point of view of a sarcastic and insane protagonist, who has rapidly changing ideas about her surroundings, other characters and even her own psychological state. Because of this, readers may come to a variety of conclusions about major plot points and themes. Puzzled, readers will identify the piece as a horror story—a vivid portrayal of insanity with unsettling realism. This is indeed the conscious conclusion that Charlotte Perkins Gilman intends for her readers to form. However, the piece is so much more than a simple horror story; it is a deceptively hidden but powerful essay on female equality and marriage, two topics about which Gilman wrote frequently.
Daniel E. Samide said of Ambrose Bierce‘s work, “Bierce’s story is a vivid reminder of how narrative techniques we may take for granted become powerful when combined by a mastery magician of words. We could all do worse than take a hint from Ambrose Bierce when we ply our own word magic(Samide par.13).” Ambrose Bierce provides the reader many opportunities to better understand the thoughts and emotions of the protagonist, Peyton Farquhar, through his use of symbolism throughout An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge. The symbolism in An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge is first evident in the name of its protagonist, Peyton Farquhar. Peyton Farquhar is a very unusual name. Bierce uses such an odd name to add to the meaning of the story’s plot.
Journey by Night is a wonderful example of a short story, comprising of the many identifying features of the genre. Of these features, Journey by Night makes use of settings, characterization, dialogue, and literary devices to a great extent, eventually giving the story an ironic conclusion. Irony is in fact a very distinguishing feature in the story. From the introduction till the conclusion, different forms of irony are used subtly in the form of other literary devices, all serving as a buildup towards the ultimate irony of the story, which would be the fact that the driver was as afraid as the passenger. Perhaps one of the most superficial layers of irony used in the story would be of verbal irony.
It is a tale of betrayal by both protagonist and antagonist. One of the best parts of this story is the long, long build-up to the final part, the tension and anticipation just get almost unbearable. In a way, this story is similar to the works of O. Henry, who really perfected the idea of the surprise ending. And Poe leaves us wondering whether the protagonist ultimately feels so happy after all with his revenge. In the story Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view, from the perspective of Montresor, the diabolical narrator of this tale, who vows revenge against Fortunato.
Hill’s use of the first person narrator is a key element of the novel. Susan Hill’s characters in this novel have limited development because the story is told by the main character, Arthur Kipps. His character is developed in an interesting way because as narrator he is looking back and describing events from the perspective of his younger self. This adds depth to his character and to the plot because as readers, we live through his nightmare with him and share his fears. This viewpoint is particularly effective in this chapter, as readers, we can relate to the terror and anxiety felt by Arthur.
Intention is used commonly and very clear in this novel. The author uses a lot of rhetorical questions to get the reader thinking. He lures in the reader with a lot of dramatic irony to get the reader thinking. His intention is for the reader to keep flipping the pages in order to figure out the true ending to the story. In the story the writer begins it with a causal story line, he later follows it with very elusive and interesting concepts to help build the story up to its climax.
Question before the Procession Shirley Jackson’s use of literary techniques in The Lottery is a true work of genius. She strategically uses irony in many places such as the story’s title, the setting an even in certain character’s personality traits. Another important literary technique used by Jackson is symbolism. The black box and the story’s title seem to create a range of associations outside themselves such as the importance of questioning irrational traditions and the unexpected nature of death. With the use of these two literary techniques, (irony and Symbolism) Shirley Jackson is able to emphasize important dramatic events within the plot.
Faulkner’s quote “The human heart is in conflict with itself” is a very powerful sentence, amply supported by a lot of fictional stories. This may be supported using two previously assigned short stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Barn Burning” by William Faulkner himself. The essence of Faulkner’s words is brilliantly captured in these stories and a well-defined connection can be made through various examples extracted from them. The Tell-Tale Heart introduces us to the narrator who clearly states he is not mad. However, his definition of mad is different due to his mental illness.
Those were all examples that proved that Richard Connell, Author of “The Most Dangerous Game” used suspense to develop his short story. “The Most Dangerous Game” has lots of suspense just like The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and “the Raven” by Edgar Allen