Literary Analysis: Trial By Combat By Shirley Jackson

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Literary Analysis Essay Unspoken words can sometimes affect the whole mood of a conversation. In the story “Trial by Combat” by Shirley Jackson and the excerpt from Summer Ball by Mike Lupica there are very tense conversations where many things go unsaid. In “Trial by Combat” the conversation between Emily and Mrs. Allen is very strained and uncomfortable for both women. Emily has come to accuse Mrs. Allen of stealing her belongings, and Mrs. Allen is well aware of this fact. In the end, Emily doesn't address Mrs. Allen about her missing items and Mrs. Allen pretends she has no idea why Emily is visiting. This causes lots of tension in their brief conversation, keeping the topics of discussion trivial and light. In the passage from Summer Ball the conversation between Danny and his …show more content…

Allen’s words. So much goes unspoken between them as they converse over trivial topics such as flowers and families. In the text it states “‘ It has to stop,’ Emily said. ‘If it doesn't, I'll have to do something about it.’... ‘You'll have to excuse me,’ she went on. ‘I tire very easily and must be in bed early.’” (paragraphs 29-30) This demonstrates how Mrs. Allen is aware of Emily’s intentions of the conversation and how Emily is aware of this. In the first sentence, Emily is almost threatening Mrs. Allen and telling her to stop stealing her things or else she'll have to tell someone about it. Mrs. Allen knows exactly what she means by this and she knows that Emily is preparing to accuse her of the stealings. Therefore, Mrs. Allen uses the excuse of having to go to bed to get Emily to leave and stop questioning her. Furthermore, the unspoken intent of Emily causes much tension between the two women in their brief conversation. From this passage, readers can gather that the reason for the uneasy mood of the conversation is the unspoken words and secret motives of Emily and Mrs.

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