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Night Susan Hill Analysis

794 Words4 Pages

Gothic novels are an English subgenre of horror and have fictional aspects. They emphasize and explore the themes of terror and mystery, utilizing female protagonists who typically are or become insane. Gothic novels were written and at their popularity peak in the 18th century. Stereotypically set in medieval times with an atmosphere of mystery, terror and death, they have features of fantasy ranging from ghosts to vampires. Alice Munro and Susan Hill both infuse gothic elements into their pieces, giving them an eerie and sinister ambience through various literary techniques; similes, metaphors, personification. Night by Alice Munro documents the struggles caused by her murderous and sadistic thoughts of strangling her little sister whilst …show more content…

Insanity is defined as 'the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind'. It is a matter that can be portrayed in numerous ways without the need to make absolute sense. The characters both begin to question their mental sanity and aberrant behavior. Hill going as far as to outright state that she had 'began to doubt my own reality'. The narrator in Night biographs her desires to strangle her sister and her insomnia because of it (a common symptom of a mental disorder). Alice Munro displays how the relationship between her and her sister was always 'unsettled'- she used to like 'tormenting' and 'teasing' her sister. Utilizing the verb torment, means she intentionally inflicted pain. This is another indication of an emotion disorder as to torment a person is viewed as psychotic. In addition, the narrator illustrates how the 'house felt like a ship at sea' and then continues on to describe how it has always continued to be as 'steady as a lighthouse'- both similes, possibly relating to how his sanity has changed drastically from very stable and secure to problematic and irrational, which may foreshadow his change in mental …show more content…

He releases his built up emotions in an aggressive and savage manner as he 'drummed' his ' fists upon the floorboards' in what he acknowledges as a 'burst of violent rage', 'instead of crying' as he states he was near to. Allowing his feelings to explode in such a way is considered something associated with mental instability. Furthermore, many people believe that light is a symbol of purity, peace, or life. Therefore, Hill recounting how 'the torch had broken', may be understood as Arthur's sanity breaking, and to a degree,

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