The First Betrayal Analysis

In The First Betrayal Josan, a man who works in a lighthouse finds himself in the midst of a violent storm. Consequently the disheartening storm threatens to destroy the light in the tower, causing the ships to crash into the rocks. In the passage- The First Betrayal, Patricia Bray’s use of harsh diction and vivid imagery creates a mood of suspense.
For instance, the author’s use of word choice illustrates a tone of fear. In the lighthouse, the lantern flame dies out, “plunging Josan into darkness” (3). Bray uses the word “plunging” to portray the sudden absence of light. Furthermore, the reader is kept on edge because of the antisipitation of what will happen in the dark. Josan shakes with fear and “[h]is hand tremble[s]” as he tries to relight the wick (9). Patricia Bray deliberately chooses the word trembled to illustrate the terror in Josan. Josan is petrified of the shipwreck that will be caused in the lack of light. Josan is so concerned for the safety of the ships he “[can]

In the passage, Josan is worried the “stone tower [will] crumble beneath the fury of the storm” (31-33). The reader experiences the violence portrayed by Bray through her dramatic literary illustrations. She personifies the monstrous storm to increase the tension between Jason and the storm. Bray symbolizes “the lighthouse [as] being swallowed by the ocean” to gradually develop suspense in the story (48-49). The author keeps using personification throughout the story to create imagery. The malign in the storm continues to destroy the lighthouse, eventually causing many shipwrecks. The ocean spares no one “[n]ot even the most sheltered flame was proof against the howling wind” (26-29). Now, Patricia Bray introduces the howling wind to symbolize the hurricane coming Josan’s way. The reader infers that the forceful winds and the powerful storm create disaster together. Bray uses vibrant imagery to develop a suspicious