Ambiguity In Henry James's The Turn Of The Screw

Capote’s In Cold Blood felt passionately written and as if he was there in every waking moment of the murder of the Clutter family. Some would say that some events were exaggerated as all great stories often are, but looking at that, some parts of the story weren’t fully explained to him or he didn’t find out that would lead to some exaggerated moments of the book. Capote uses many literary devices within the book, such as imagery and diction to get his point across  that in his eyes Dick and Perry are in the wrong and yet do not deserve the punishment they receive for their crimes. Capote does send off a hint that death penalty isn’t a must for all and should be used every time unless the crime is extremely terrible. Capote describes

There is always something that bothers us in life, whether it’s others or even our own conscious. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator has a difficult time following through with his cruel acts because a part of him knows it’s truly wrong. Throughout the story, his crimes bring more tension between him and the old man. Suspense is created with his every move, leaving readers hanging on the edge of their seats. In “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Poe builds suspense by using symbolism, inner thinking, and revealing information to the reader that a character doesn’t know about.

Whether it is Hamlet’s antic disposition, or Macbeth’s mask of friendship, it is clearly evident that not everything is as it seems. Yet Shakespeare does more than just show that people put up a false exterior, he also places events into doubt. All the way from Macbeth’s encounter to the witches, to his hallucinations, his version of reality is constantly in doubt. From Hamlet’s conversations with Ophelia, to his acknowledging of the ghost which his mother cannot see, his sanity is placed into doubt. On top of this, Shakespeare also relates the theater to life.

Macbeth cannot control his paranoia and hallucinations, but he can control his actions towards the prophecies he 's given in the beginning. By the end of the play, his paranoia led to his lonely demise which showed how he believed in the prophecies. Macbeth’s control over his destiny reflects on what the play is teaching us overall. A way Macbeth is in control of his destiny is when he believes in the prophecies. For example, after Macbeth encountered the witches, he had a small monologue.

A narrator: defined as a person who guides or tells the story of events through one’s own experience. As far as we are told, the narrator tells the story precisely and can make the words of the page come to life. Yet, is it possible for the narrator to tell the story incorrectly through their own perspective? This well-written horror shows us anything is possible in the art of literature. From reading “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, readers learn that the narrator is unreliable and therefore cannot be trusted to tell the story completely accurately.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in 1953, is about a dystopian society in the future times. Bradbury successfully argues that an individual's ability to be physically and mentally active is destroyed as we are blinded with technology and pure knowledge in books are eliminated. Although his book is well supported through his creative use of figurative language, his failure to create suspense makes the resolution predictable. Montag the main character is a fireman whose life and thoughts change when he meets Clarisse, a intellectual teen, and witnesses a woman set ablaze for having books. Convinced that books he burns contain powers, Montag secretly analyzes books with Faber’s, a doubtful professor, help.

Lennie with his simple mind, always gets into trouble. This time, Lennie gets himself in a bind once again, that George can’t save him from. George decision to kill Lennie in the story, was due to his responsibility, sympathy, and love for Lennie. George’s decision to kill Lennie was out of sympathy for him. In the book, George and Slim said to each other, “Couldn’ we maybe bring him in an’ they’ll lock him up?

Since Fahrenheit 451 is written in third person the reader can’t directly know what guy is thinking but he or she can infer that within himself. One example is how he struggles between conformity and the yearning to change. Throughout the book the reader can understand that Guy is having a battle within himself but doesn’t know where to start. He then turns to the books that he has been seemingly unconsciously stealing and an old english teacher named Faber for help. This develops theme because this inner battle is what causes Guy to turn away from technology and realize the importance of literature.

In both texts, the main character’s actions change throughout the book as they realize that differences are the most important. In The Book Thief, Liesel is teased at first because she can’t read. She “gave Ludwig Schmeikl the hiding of a lifetime” for making fun of her (Zusak 79). Her actions are to blend in at first, and she learns to read with Hans at night. However, throughout the book, she becomes more confident in being different, and she steals books even though Rudy thinks this is strange and unique.

In the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime written by Mark Haddon, the authors use of symbolism accentuates the loss of innocence as one endures life challenges. At the beginning of the book, Christopher lacks knowledge of life and the world thus, his view on life is limited to what he knows through math and the universe. As his impressions of life are shattered and he has to endure the hardships of knowing that his father has been lying to him, Christopher is forced to understand a more complicated life. He uses the murder investigation, math, logic, and order to endure the privation of life. Mark Haddon 's writing gives an outlook onto what a person with Aspergers goes through on a day

In the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas Foster explains concepts that have been used in writing and how those can be interpreted differently. This includes vampires and ghosts and their relationship to seemingly normal people. The concept of vampires and ghosts can be found throughout the book The Scarlet Letter in the character Roger Chillingworth. It is hard to tell what his true intent is throughout the book, thus making him seem suspicious and somewhat evil. At the beginning of the book, a mysterious man arrives to Boston during Hester’s punishment on the scaffold, to find that she has committed adultery.

Third of all, authors of dystopian novels use genres of literature to make the it easier for the readers to learn dystopia. Also, authors use mystery in their writing for dystopia; there is an example of this in The Maze Runner. The characters are brainwashed, so they do not remember why they were imprisoned in The Maze. “And yet he didn’t know where he came from, or how he’d gotten inside the dark lift, or who his parents were. He didn’t even know his last name.

The Psychological Obstacles in Gothic Literature and life Gothic literature is just not a bunch of stories about ghosts and spirts, they are about the deep problems in everyone’s life. The works of Edgar Allen Poe are the best example of this. Poe’s stories talk about death, psychological issues, and morbid examples of pain. Two of Poe’s more famous works include The Raven and the Black Cat more examples of this are in the book Miss. Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children where the author Ransom Riggs the main character is faced with mental disabilities and the struggle of learning the bleak history of his family.

It’s said was born curious in science and the creation of life. In the novel, he stated, "The world, was to me a secret which I desired to divine”; "Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature … are among the earliest sensations I can remember" (31); and "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn" (33) these quotes show just how curious he is and emphasizes just how long he has been curious about the creation of life. Elizabeth’s sickness, causing her to almost face death, also provoked his construction of the monster. Before his mother caught the Scarlett Fever, Elizabeth was sick. When Victor was young, he was given Elizabeth as a gift from his parents and for her to have almost died made him realize he had to do something to cheat death.

I found that the book The Screwtape Letters seems to relate with most of my life. This is mainly because this book is all about the demons trying to “tempt” us and turn us away from God or as they know him “The Enemy.” It is interesting to ponder on how each different thought of mine could be possibly influenced by something else. For example, Screwtape writes,”The sense of disappointment can, with very little skill on our part, be turned into a sense of injury.”(Lewis, pg. 166) I have struggled with this quite a bit and I wonder sometimes if demons like Screwtape or Wormwood are influencing the thoughts I have. The most intriguing thing I found in this book that related to my life is the demon’s strategy for taking a human.