The elements of fantasy and horror blend together perfectly to create an unforgettable series of events. An example of dark fantasy is Something Wicked This Way Comes, the novel by Ray Bradbury that tells the story of two young boys, Jim and Will, who discover the secret of a mysterious traveling carnival. The magical carnival has many temptations, including a frightening mirror maze and a carousel that changes one’s age. However, its allure only causes one to fall into the clutches of the ringmaster, Mr. Dark, an illustrated man who tattoos each person bound to the carnival in servitude onto his skin. Along with Will’s father Charles, the boys set out to investigate and destroy the soul-sucking attraction. They eventually defeat the carnival through love and happiness; during this time, Charles also comes to the extraordinary realization to not take life too seriously. Ray Bradbury’s symbols in the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes define and emphasize the theme life endures through constant struggle between good and evil. Jim and Will, Charles, and the carnival attractions demonstrate the theme in Bradbury’s novel and bring it to life. The literary elements Ray Bradbury incorporates in Something Wicked This Way Comes plays an essential role in shaping the main idea of the novel.
Jim and Will represent symbols that greatly help unravel the theme in Something Wicked This Way Comes. In the first place, they illustrate symbols of good and evil, with Jim as the darker of the two and Will as the lighter. Charles can see that this appears obvious, and he points it out to the kids. He states, “[Jim] wears the black ten-gallon hats and reads books to fit. Middle name’s Moriarty, right, Jim? Any day now he’ll move up from Fu Manchu ...
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...ruggles and will continue to do so as long as life itself continues. The carnival attractions serve as excellent symbols in proving the theme.
The use of symbols in Something Wicked This Way Comes renders the theme that life bears through unvarying battle between good and evil more apparent. To begin with, Will and Jim represent good and evil, respectively, and struggle constantly between themselves throughout the course of the novel. Subsequently, Charles also symbolizes good and battles with many types of evil in the book, including Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch. In conclusion, the carnival attractions include forms of fear and temptation that fight against the main characters as the plot progresses. Something Wicked This Way Comes combines dark nights, folk-tale characters, and magical elements to relate supernatural and sinister matters to everyday life.
While literature often follows some pattern and can be predictable, it is often evolving and can change in an instant depending on the author. In most Gothic literature, a derivative of Romanticism, there is a gothic space in the work – a limited space in which anything can happen in contrast to the normal world in the work. In addition, normally, order is restored at the end of Gothic literature – the good is rewarded and the bad is punished. In his Gothic novella, The Terrible Vengeance (1981), Nicolai Gogol decided to expand the ‘normal’ idea of Gothic literature by, in the work, transforming the traditional Gothic space to encompass anything and everything; in addition to the use of space, through the ending in which there is no reward, Gogol conveyed the idea that evil is prevalent everywhere and in everyone.
Wickedness is a key trait that is expressed in Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. At several points in the novel, wickedness and wicked people are prevalent. One instance where wickedness is blatantly shown is when Mr. Halloway, a janitor at a library and father to Will Halloway, analyzes the events presented throughout the book, until that point. “By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. So vague, yet so immense. He did not want to live with it.” (Bradbury 137) Mr. Halloway was burdened with the overwhelming pressure and overall obscurities that the carnival presented to the town. Obscurities such as Mr. Dark and his age-defying carousel, Mr. Cooger and his electric chair, and the carnival freaks who obey Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger’s every order project this bone-chilling wickedness that defines Something Wicked This Way Comes. An example was when Mr. Dark ordered the Dust Witch to cause physical pain but metaphorically sew up Will and Jim’s eyes, mouths, and ears. “Darning needle-dragonfly, sew up these mouths so they not speak… Darning needle-dragonfly, sew up these ears, so they not hear… Darning needle-dragonfly, sew up these eyes so they not see!” (Bradbury 165) The cruelty and inhumane torture that Mr. Dark presented to Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade was a clear sign of his twisted mind. Mr. Dark was able to control the boys’ actions when they were under the witch’s spell, which was part of his manipulation tactic. Mr. Dark’s wickedness prompted the cruelty shown to his carnival freaks and he people he
Gothic literature, such as The Night Circus, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”, and “Masque of the Red Death”, are known for incorporating gothic elements such as the supernatural, death, and fascination with the past.
In the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, there is much evidence of foreshadowing and parallels to other myths. Dracula was not the first story featuring a vampire myth, nor was it the last. Some would even argue that it was not the best. However, it was the most original, using foreshadowing and mood to create horrific imagery, mythical parallels to draw upon a source of superstition, and original narrative elements that make this story unique.
Throughout Something Wicked This Way Comes there is an ongoing battle between good and evil, and many problems dealing with greed. In most stories good prevails, but things happen differently this time. The characters have problems with greed and evil thoughts, which will bring them misfortune throughout the story.
Mark Twain once said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.” In the fiction novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the carnival tries to take over people’s lives by luring them in with attractions that offer better lives. Even though the attractions look as though they will improve one’s life, the truth is that the carnival feeds off of fear and will not change the person back to normal. Symbols in this novel illustrate that the key to defeating evil is self acceptance. The symbols that best represent this are Charles Halloway, the mirror maze, and the carousel. The first symbol is Charles Halloway.
When writing a story that is meant to scare the reader, authors use a variety of different literary elements to intensify fear. This is apparent in the stories “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “beware: do not read this poem,” and “House Taken Over”. It is shown through transformation in the character, setting, and sometimes even the story or poem itself, adding to the scariness that the reader feels when reading it. While there are some examples of transformation not being scary or not playing a role in stories meant to scare us, transformation plays a crucial role in making the reader of these stories scared.
When I was young I would always watch “scary movies” with my sister. For this reason, Every night I would have nightmares after each movie. By all means, I’d end up on the other side of the bed or on the floor. Given that, Stephen King claims his short story “ Why We Crave Horror” is to crave horror by facing our fears and, re-establish our feelings normalcy by getting used to the horror towards something that is called the human condition provided that, he is right about his claims. By all means, His three claims are “To show we can,that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster”. “ We also go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality”. “ If we share a brotherhood of man, then we also share an insanity of man”.
Characteristics of evil, which are representative of the beast, can only be controlled through the fear of the laws of which society mandates. The absence of the enforcement of laws permits and therefore encourages the presence of barbarism, which the boys refer to as the beast. This beast, shown in the boys, is a form of savagery that they display throughout the entire novel, and through the exposure of their savagery, their true evil nature is revealed. These savage dark impulses of human nature present in everyone is commonly found in modern society. Only through the existence of regulations can this beast be controlled by the fear of the people living in society themselves.
Stephen King believes that we are naturally attracted to the horror genre because we can identify with it to some degree and it is also considered a challenge by some to be able to withstand horror. I find it slightly unsettling that to some degree we are all insane according to King, however, I find this to be very believable.
How W.W. Jacobs, H.G. Wells and Charles Dickens Create Suspense in their Gothic Horror Stories
We wonder what this great evil could be that makes evil itself tremble. Another personification used is ‘candle writing’. Candles are usually associated with gothic stories, as it is only a small source of light. within the vast darkness of the room.
Jack symbolizes the source of all evil; man’s uncontrollable hunger for power. Right from the start, Jack expresses that he desires power, even when he is held to society’s standards. At the beginning of the story, when the characters are first being introduced, Golding writes, “‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp” (22). Even when he is bound by authority and the rules and laws of society, he shows a sort of superior attitude. He uses his self-proclaimed superiority to justify his lust for power, and gives his qualities as credentials for leadership. As the story progresses, he demonstrates a desire to
We crave horror movies simply for “the fun of it” in agreeing with Stephen King Why We Crave Horror movies. King gave multiple examples in his story as to why we crave horror movies and I can agree with just about each and every one of them. After watching a few horror movies for yourself, you will understand why it is easy to agree with King. If you have watched movies such as the 2004 movie Dawn of the Dead, The Purge, or The Conjuring you will also be able to relate to Chuck Klosterman My Zombie, Myself “Zombies are just so easy to kill.” Klostermans theory of zombies are extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult yet exciting problem of zombies in the real world. Klosterman’s argument that the repetition of modern life is
Would you rather be horrified beyond repair or thrilled to the point of no return? In horror, the main purpose is to invoke fear and dread into the audience in the most unrealistic way. Horror movies involve supernatural entities such as ghosts, vampires, teleportation, and being completely immortal. As thriller films are grounded in realism and involve more suspense, mystery, and a sense of panic. Though both genres will frighten the audience, it will happen in two different ways. Whether the horror thrills or the thriller horrifies, a scare is always incorporated.