Author: Russell Zeng

John Cheever’s “The Enormous Radio” can be considered gothic because of its excessive dwelling in negativity. This is shown in the story when Irene Westcott keeps on listening to the radio throughout the day and learning about people’s secrets. The radio exposes a lot of people’s problems and abuse of others which was disturbing to Irene. These secrets were shocking to her but she keeps on listening even though it was upsetting and ruining her relationship with her husband (Jim Westcott). At the end of the story, Irene was in denial of her own wrongdoings and wanted to help others which made Jim angry. This leads to more negativity as Jim exposes their financial problems and Irene’s past of hurting others with no remorse. Irene could have stopped using the radio to stop the negativity/problem but chose to keep listening.

One reason why “The Enormous Radio” can’t be considered gothic is the lack of extremes. What happened throughout the story was very tame compared to other gothic stories and there wasn’t anything unexpected. The problems people have in the story are very normal and Irene Westcott is too delusional to stop herself from overreacting.  

1. “Such texts are not so much working to adapt the Gothic mode; instead the Gothic emerges from the conditions they seek to describe”. (pg 4)
2. A defining feature of Gothic includes a pushing towards extremes and excess. (pg 5)
3. Some extremes and taboos that Gothic explores are religious profanities, demonism, necromancy, and incest. (pg 6)
4. “Gothic interest in extreme states and actions can also be seen to correlate with widespread social anxieties and fears.” (pg 6)
5. “One of the great strengths of the Gothic is its ability to articulate the voice of the “other” within its fancy-dress disguise of stylized contestations” (pg 8) 

From my point of view, “A Story Told to Me by a Friend” is the story I liked the most because it was relatable and realistic. It was a story about a person meeting someone online and getting to know each other. The two men were very compatible with each other and had similar interests. They were in love and it seem like the perfect relationship. After a while, they decided to meet each other but unfortunately one of the men had died of a heart attack before they had the chance to. The story was relatable to me because it shows life can be unpredictable and once a lifetime opportunity can be gone in an instant. I would be devastated if I wasn’t able to meet the person who I really liked and spend a lot of time getting to know. I can also see this happening in my life and it can be terrifying to think about. The story also showed me not to take things for granted because they could be gone before you know it. This story was also most realistic to me because it made sense and I can see how the events in the story can possibly happen. Some stories I didn’t like because they seem pointless after the reveal or ending. – Russell Zeng