In the short story The Enormous Radio, It can be evident that it is a gothic piece in literature for a number of reasons. For starters, the wife Irene Westcott stumbles upon something uncanny when her husband Jim Westcott Purchases a new radio for her as a gift but notices the seemingly peculiar detail that she can hear everything her neighbors are saying, doing and experiencing. To the person in this situation it might seem as if the events unfolding are supernatural but in reality it could be something completely scientific like the interception of radio waves through other electrical appliances. This is also a common theme amongst gothic literature, the occurrence of events that seem unnatural but have a completely logical explanation unknownst to the characters presented to us. Another example that this text might be an example of gothic literature is when Irene has invested her time into listening to the conflicts of the other tenants in the building and their relationships through the radio and has a conflicting thought when her husband comes home that he is unsatisfied. She begins to break down in tears and questions the stability of her relationship to her husband which is a prime example of the gothic emotions of romance and passion.
On the other hand the story can be a simple work of fiction because of the missing elements and actions of gothic literature. Besides the unnatural occurrence there isn’t really a dark or unsettling nature to the characters or setting of the environment. There is also no sign of a hero or villain complex throughout the story. There is also no example of extreme shock, fear, or violence. The only event of violence that takes place is when Irene hears one of her other neighbors experiencing events of domestic violence but neither death or serious injury takes place in order to cause a truly effective change to the overall plot of the story.
