Gothic Elements In 'The Lottery And A Rose For Emily'

Gothic literature is defined as a style usually portrayed in fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, and other “dark” subjects. Gothic literature is normally seen in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century writings. Gothic literature was a dark element represented in the short stories: “Yellow Wallpaper,” “The Lottery,” and “A Rose for Emily.” In the short story, “Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author wants the reader to grasp how horrifying the wallpaper is. The author describes the wallpaper as, “The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smoldering, unclean yellow strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.” He used this description to make the reader see how the room is figuratively dark. The word choice makes the reader feel nasty and over-whelmed at how gross the wallpaper feels.

Faulkner was able to create a strong feeling of horror through gothic literature. For example he wrote, “So they were not surprised when the smell developed.” He used our sense of smell to tell a story of disgust and to allow the reader to feel the unpleasantness of the main character, Miss Emily. Further into the story, Faulkner used gothic literature to create a gruesome scene of a dead body. “What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay,” wrote Faulkner. In this, gothic literature used our imagination to establish an impression of revulsion in the reader. At the end of the story, Faulkner wanted the reader to understand how disturbed Miss. Emily’s mind proceeded to be. Faulkner added, “Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head.” Faulkner wrote that statement to show that not only did Miss. Emily kill the man; she slept with his decaying corps. Faulkner wanted to send an eerie feeling throughout the reader and with gothic literature he