Author: Zowraiz

“The Enormous Radio” by John Cheever is a story centered around the couple, Jim and Irene Westcott. The story is about a radio that Jim purchases for Irene, that can pick up their neighbors’ conversations. This story does have gothic elements involved in it such as the suspense and tension that are built through the couple’s experience with the mysterious radio. This radio changes Irene’s perception of her own relationships causing her to develop trust issues and paranoia. The radio is a supernatural sort of object which brings a suspenseful and mysterious mood to the story, just like an element that would exist in gothic fiction. The tension built throughout the story between the couple is also a similar element to the tone that would be present in gothic fiction.

The story doesn’t follow the entire formula of gothic literature however. There are elements missing such as the return to normalcy, the concept of a dream, and the scary setting. The couple doesn’t return to normal after their experience with the radio, far from that. Irene who was originally a normal and content women who began to feel paranoid and guilty after her obsession with the radio drove her to a change. The couple began to have a rift in their relationship because of problems that didn’t exist before the radio had taken a toll on Irene. The concept of a dream or illusion isn’t present either since everything that occurs in the story is happening in the realm of reality that the characters belong to and are aware of. The setting is also normal and not special or scary like it normally would be in gothic fiction. The story does contain elements that are relevant in gothic literature, but is also missing several important elements that would identify a story as gothic fiction.

1. The architectural setting is an important idea of what defines the gothic style. The medievalist structures such as passageways, labyrinths, trapdoors, and arches are used to create the atmosphere and describe the setting which is a crucial element. (Page 7)
2. The landscapes are an important element of gothic literature. They further develop the setting and atmosphere. Mountains, cages, and wastelands all can be possible settings. These landscapes are sometimes used metaphorically to describe a simple setting to turn it gothic, while other times they are actually used. (Page 7)
3. The essence of gothic literature is a push towards exploring extreme and excessive limits of elements such as fear, cruelty, and rapacity. The gothic style aims to reinforce morality and propriety in the conclusion. Pushing the boundaries on these extreme elements in the writing serves to reinforce morality and propriety. (Page 5)
4. The extremes that gothic explores also consists of taboos such as demonism, necromancy, occultism, and religious profanities. These elements contribute to the dark side of gothic writing and tie in with the existence of supernaturalism that is ultimately explained, which is a constant formula used in gothic literature. (Page 6)
5. The existence of fear, horror, and terror which build the overall mood and tone of the story which keeps the reader on edge is a very important idea that is crucial to the gothic style. It goes hand in hand with the dark elements to create an impact. (Page 8)

My favorite short story has to be “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It was quite different from all of the other stories we have read, mainly because the mood set by the author throughout was less tense and more calm compared to the other works. The story was suspenseful but it didn’t seem as serious as what it eventually built up to. The mood completely shifts near the end with a surprising reveal.

I was shocked when it was revealed the villagers were basically drawing lots to determine who gets stoned. While I was reading, I didn’t think that the plot twist regarding the lottery was coming at all although the author did hint at it, leaving subtle messages that I only understood after I read the story for the first time. The subtle messages along with knowing the concept of the lottery gives a completely different feel to the story. From the beginning of the story where the kids are collecting stones, to the lottery, where the idea of not upsetting tradition was mentioned; the story appears dark and intense rather than suspenseful and lighthearted over a second read. I was eager to reread it because I knew it would seem like an entirely different experience with my newfound knowledge of the ending. Everything from the dialogue to the actions of characters described by the narrator were put under a different atmosphere. The lines of Tessie Hutchinson, the victim of the horrifying ending; transformed from the depiction of greediness, to desperation at the end. I believe it was very well done and it is part of why I really enjoyed this story.

The ending is night and day with the beginning and middle of the story. The box from which the lottery slips were being drawn was the most suspicious element in the story, but in the end, it only served the purpose of representing how the villagers would continue to carry out their traditions regardless of the times progressing. If stoning your loved ones to death wasn’t proof of that mindset, then I don’t know what would be.