Oral History, Lee Smith’s fifth novel, was published in 1983 and garnered national attention due to its status as a “Book-of-the-Month Club” selection (“Biography”). Oral History opens at the base of Hoot Owl Mountain, home to the remaining descendants of the almost mythical Cantrell family. A younger and somewhat estranged family member, Jennifer, comes to the Appalachian setting to gather information about her unknown past for a college assignment, appropriately termed “Oral History.” She is drawn to the small, now coal-mining community due to a legend surrounding the Cantrell family and their former home, Hoot Owl Holler. The legend morphed into a ghost story involving a haunted cabin, witchcraft, and a supposed curse on the family at hand.
Her oldest daughter, Elsie, was a “touched” child who suffered from some degree of mental retardation and epilepsy (23). Despite the conditions, Henrietta loved her daughter unconditionally. Therefore, while they lived in Clover she provided Elsie with the around the clock care and supervision she required. As Elsie grew older she “never talked” and didn’t develop like other children (44). Henrietta tried to be able to continue to care for Elsie, even going as far as taking her to “revival meetings so preachers in tents could lay hands on Elsie to heal her” (44).
SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION Contains new material as well as a bonus short story, “Crazed in Christmas City” AND an excerpt of HARES IN THE HEDGEROW, the highly anticipated sequel to RABBITS IN THE GARDEN. Being a teenager is hard enough, but growing up in an asylum could drive anyone crazy. At twelve years old, Avery Norton had everything: a boyfriend who was also her best friend, the entirety of Martha 's Vineyard as her playground, and her very own garden to tend. By thirteen, it was all over. The discovery of a secret crypt in the basement starts the Norton family down many unexpected avenues, including one that leads to Avery 's arrest for murder and her subsequent imprisonment in Taunton State Lunatic Asylum.
Often when one thinks of the standard father-son relationship, rather stereotypically there’s an essence of rigidity. Masculinity and the stubborn adherence to its tight standards in how men should behave, how they should talk, or how they should even feel about other men, even in their own families. Even the simplest “I love you,” or any variation is replaced between men with awkward or utterly empty silences, censoring the feelings of familial or brotherly or friendly affection between them, even if they are strongly there. In A River Runs Through It, throughout lies a demonstration of such omission of actual feelings about many ranges of feelings and thoughts- which also is a reflection of how often men as individuals who are socialized in certain societies submit to ideas of
She was the sole witness to her father’s long illness and final death. He died later and was buried in a town on the shore of New Jersey. While she mourned the death of her father, she also beauty in her surroundings. She was a new city, Philadelphia, where she realized there was world much greater than her narrow town of Charleston. Dr. Physic had set her up with a Quaker family where they brought to them new religious ideas of spiritually equality among men and women, religious thoughts, and woman could be preachers.
In 1945 Elizabeth Bowen published her short story “The Demon Lover”, in which the main character, Kathleen Drover, returns to her war torn home in London during the midst of World War II and finds a letter supposedly from her ex fiancé who has been presumed dead for 25 years. The story ends with the main characters abduction, presumably by her ex fiancé. Since its publication, “The Demon Lover” has been subject to much debate over the meaning of the events in the story. In his article “Psychosis or Seduction” Daniel V. Fraustino attempts to refute Douglas A. Hughes’s claim that the events in the story are hallucinations, the result of Mrs. Drover having a mental breakdown (Fraustino 483). Instead, Fraustino argues for a much more literal interpretation of the story, calling it “a mystery of high suspense” (483).
In the book The Haunted, Danielle Vega portrays the protagonist of the novel to be a teenage girl who goes by the name of Hendricks Becker O’Malley. After leaving behind her dark and toxic past in Philadelphia, Hendricks looks to lay low and keep a clean slate in a small town called Drearford, NY with her parents and toddler brother. Her plan of laying low comes to an end when the popular group of kids at her school befriend her and she suddenly becomes the talk of the school, but she finds out that its not just because she’s the new girl. Hendricks learns from her new friends that the fixer upper house shes living in goes by the name of “steele house” and a guy murdered his little sister in the basement of the house, and then took his own
Going through a traumatizing event such as rape may alter a victim 's life, including those of their family. To recover from such an incident finding justice can be the best resort. Geraldine the victim in “The Round House” was raped and found covered in blood. Life on the reservation means that Geraldine will never be able to seek justice against her rapist. Her son, Joe, the protagonist in the novel further explains how he feels at the young age of thirteen.
As well as performing chores about her own household, Antonia loves to help her neighbor, Mrs. Burden around the house. However, after her father commits suicide, Antonia has little time for activities other than labor. In just eight months, Antonia developed from a child into a tall, strong young girl who could hold her own while conducting the farm work. During this time, Antonia had often helped her older brother with the men’s tasks, such as plowing and harvesting. Furthermore, Antonia took any job offered to her in order to earn wages for her family, such as helping Mrs. Burden in the kitchen or becoming a cook for the Harlings.
It was my decision to move to New England where our perfect den was compromised Thinking that living upon a hill could detract my soul from dark influences, I sent your tolerant mother to Boston to establish a residence for the both of us upon my arrival. However, completely unanticipated, I found myself for two years, living in the wild amongst the Indians learning their way of life in regard to their medicines and cures and most importantly, the way in which they lived life beyond what I could have imagined or ever read in any single
As ironic as it may sound, the protagonist’s family, along with the priest and the townspeople, are the genuine monsters in this literary piece. In this short story, it was clearly seen that the protagonist was physically and psychologically isolated from her community. This abhorrence initiated within the protagonist’s own household. Her family implied that something was wrong with her—that she used to be a lovely baby and that she was cursed (263).
She had written about what the free or leisure time was spent doing and the easiest way to get free time. She wrote that when she had to make a quilt for her bed, she and her neighbors had gotten together and made it together, while the gentlemen drank tea. After a nicely made supper they danced the night away. Then they returned to their house with their families. Along with many other families if you worked really hard, you get to have fun.
As Arthur experiences various paranormal situations he starts to regret his decision of staying at Eel Marsh house for the night, and even going there at all. Arthur starts to wonder how Mrs. Drablow had endured “day after day, night after night of isolation” (p.82) when he had had “enough of solitude” (p.82) after just one night. The repetition of the word “day” and “night” helps the reader understand how long this period of time might have been for Alice Drablow and helps them empathize with her despite not knowing her. Unlike when he first saw it, the isolation of the house makes him feel “insignificant” (p.85). The vocabulary combined with the long sentences Hill used to describe the marsh makes the reader feel small and powerless against such a vast landscape.
In this passage, Eleanor finally provides a detailed history about her dad. She believes that her father doesn’t love her or her siblings, and resents him for abandoning them. This is why Eleanor was so apprehensive towards babysitting for his step-daughter. She couldn’t stand the thought of being replaced by someone else in her father’s life. The author used simple language, typical of Eleanor’s age, to convey this message to the readers.
The London fog, the town of Crythin Gifford, and the park scene all gives the novella a very gothic atmosphere. The novella, especially gives a feeling of dread and mystery with the atmosphere. “The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill is a haunting story that leaves the reader searching for more answers, maybe even more than
