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Horror In Joyce Carol Oates's Haunted

1069 Words5 Pages

Horror as a genre has the potential to accommodate diverse forms of narration. Joyce Carol Oates' work "Haunted" cleverly twists the genre by incorporating true horrors into the supernatural and eerie elements. Using powerful language, she taps into the legitimate fears that women have of living in a world dominated by patriarchal structures, evoking a strong emotional response even in those who are typically indifferent. The discussion will center on Joyce Carol Oates' skillful mixed of both real and imaginary fear in her short story "Haunted" that was published in 1994. We will examine topics related to suppressing one's sexual desires and methods of managing high levels of psychological distress. Combining the fears we fabricate with those …show more content…

The reader is left searching for hints, and the most upsetting part of the story happens at the end. On pages 16 to 21, Melissa narrates encountering a ghostly presence that begins by whispering to her to follow, similar to an alluring invitation to adventure, as she explores the deserted Minton house. The ghost starts to make fun of Melissa and play with her. She wants to know why Melissa is there. However, the word “punishment” is constantly used and Melissa deserves a certain punishment to be imposed on her. As she continues to depict the ghost, you can gradually make out certain features reminiscent of her mother, Mrs. Minton, and Mrs. Harding is simply a collection of women who are in her life. The punishment for women who are seen as "too adventurous" is usually seen as just. People used to ask what women was wearing and why they were in a certain place before blaming the person who committed the crime. Oates effectively illustrates the pervasive and far-reaching effects of violence on women as a collective through her story. Particularly when the ghost wants to find out Mary Lou's name and tells Melissa to bring her to the house. The important thing is what the ghost says to her after “punishing” her. “This will be our secret, won’t it” she says (Oates 21). Oates shows how abuse victims feel when they are forced to be silent and right afterwards. After Mary Lou went missing and her murder, Melissa's mother talked about her to teach a lesson like the consequences of disobedience. “Mary Lou shouldn’t have gone with boys, not a nasty boy like Hans” even in death, she was one to be blamed (Oates

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