Everybody is afraid of something. Fear rules a plethora of people’s lives, like the characters in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. The novel is about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigating the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville, the third to last heir to the Baskerville estate. He was known to be fearful of the hound because of what it was said to have done to Sir Hugo Baskerville 150 years earlier. Throughout the novel, the author develops the theme don't be ruled by fear by describing the hound, the curse, and the moor.
To begin with, Sir Hugo Baskerville was supposedly killed by the hound and this demon dog still haunts the Baskerville family to this day. When the author described the hound, he said how it, “turned its blazing eyes and dripping jaws upon them,” (17) and how everyone ran away from it when they saw it. People were immensely petrified of the hound, as well as its abominable looks. The author also said how people saw the hound as, “luminous, ghastly and spectral,” (30). This description made the hound sound like a demon, eerie and supernatural and as a result, people often feared of it, and
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It described how Hugo Baskerville took a local yeoman's daughter, but yet she escaped causing Hugo to go after her in pursuit of his wondrous maiden. The author tells how many of the family members died unhappy deaths and how their deaths have been, “sudden, bloody, and mysterious,” (17). The burden affected the families and due to that, they all died in a dark, horrid, and dismal death. “I counsel you by way of caution to forbear from crossing the moor in those dark hours when the powers of evil are exalted,” (17). The curse was placed upon the Baskerville family because Hugo Baskerville was oh so sure that he would never find the maiden, alive that is, but when he found her dead he realized what he said and had already forsaken the fate of his next
The legend of the Baskervilles gives many people fear about walking the moor at night. The is when the powers of evil are exalted. All of these three example, the prison, Grimpen Mire, and the moor at night, all give off an atmosphere of decay.
Gothic texts are typically characterized by a horrifying and haunting mood, in a world of isolation and despair. Most stories also include some type of supernatural events and/or superstitious aspects. Specifically, vampires, villains, heroes and heroines, and mysterious architecture are standard in a gothic text. Depending upon the author, a gothic text can also take on violent and grotesque attributes. As an overall outlook, “gothic literature is an outlet for the ancient fears of humanity in an age of reason” (Sacred-Texts). Following closely to this type of literature, Edgar Allan Poe uses a gloomy setting, isolation, and supernatural occurrences throughout “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
The idea of fear is a fairly simple concept, yet it carries the power to consume and control lives. Fears have stemmed from an inadvertent psychological response to situations deemed threating to one’s personal safety, but have evolved into a complex web of often illogical misconceptions which are able to cloud a person’s judgment and result in situations often worse than originally intended. Fears can be hard to quell, but it has been shown the best way to overcome fears is often to face them, as author James Baldwin asserted when he wrote, “To defend oneself against fear is simply to insure that one will, one day, be conquered by it; fears must be faced.” Baldwin makes strongly qualified statement, and his idea fears must be faced to ensure one is not conquered by them is evident frequently, and is especially visible in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, two characters are placed in situations in which they are directly confronted with their fears, but react much differently, resulting in contrastingly different consequences. Baldwin’s assertion is qualified by the journeys of Hester Prynne and the Reverend Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter, who show how facing one’s fears can have a positive outcome while defending oneself from their fears can have detrimental consequences.
Chuck Palahniuk once said “The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.” When Clarisse asked Montag if he was happy, he thought, and thought about it, until finally, he found out he really wasn’t happy. Guy Montag risked his family, his career, and his life, just to hold banished readings within his home. He went against society to do what he thought was right, even if that meant punishment or death. Montag was a hero because he tried to bring back freedom and independent thought, show off author’s greatest works, and even though he rebelled, and killed a man, he did it with good intentions to help the rest of society.
As explained before, the "dull, dark, and soundless" house serves as both "the castle" and "gloomy atmospheres'' in this story. Poe uses the house as the main tool to create a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. However not all of Poe's gothic elements are actual physical objects. Fear is Poe's next choice of gothic elements as even our main character Roderick predicted would "sooner or later'' become his untimely demise. Fear is the dark recesses of the human heart and conscience and Roderick's fear in this brilliant story was not even death; but it was fear its self. Lady Madeline death is Poe's next gothic element because her death is a crime. Lady Madeline is the victim a the incompetents of her twin Roderick and unfortunately suffered a premature burial. Poe dose this the emphasize the extreme emotion of Roderick and the severity of the situation. Poe as well uses the description of the "decaying house...ghastly river..[and] black and lurid tarn'' to create feelings of darkness, shadows and gloominess and give the story a gothic ambiance. Poe Uses these elements to give his literature a gothic, gloomy, and overall dark atmosphere.
Written in 1818, the latter stages of the Gothic literature movement, at face value this novel embodies all the key characteristics of the Gothic genre. It features the supernatural, ghosts and an atmosphere of horror and mystery. However a closer reading of the novel presents a multifaceted tale that explores
Word by word, gothic literature is bound to be an immaculate read. Examining this genre for what it is could be essential to understanding it. “Gothic” is relating to the extinct East Germanic language, people of which known as the Goths. “Literature” is defined as a written work, usually with lasting “artistic merit.” Together, gothic literature combines the use of horror, death, and sometimes romance. Edgar Allan Poe, often honored with being called the king of horror and gothic poetry, published “The Fall of House Usher” in September of 1839. This story, along with many other works produced by Poe, is a classic in gothic literature. In paragraph nine in this story, one of our main characters by the name of Roderick Usher,
“The Hound of the Baskervilles” demonstrated the differences between the upper class and the lower class and even between those people who were in the same class as each others at the end of the 19th century in England. Beside those differences, there were also some similarities between the two classes. In this essay, I will analyse how they are alike and different in some main aspects such as the belief in the curse, the relationship to the law, their mysterious actions, and especially the subjugation between people in the same class.
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.
Thousands of readers made complaints and the once well known cult figure had been feared to be gone forever. For a couple of years Conan Doyle avoided the reader's. complaints but Doyle eventually buckled under stress and wrote a book. called "The Hound of the Baskervilles". A story set before the tragic ending of Sherlock Holmes.
In the beginning, Sir Charles fears the mythical hound, and is killed because of it. When Dr. Mortimer, Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. Watson are discussing the details of the time leading to Sir Charles death and his death. This is depicted when Dr. Mortimer states, ‘“…Sir Charles’s nervous system was strained…so much so…nothing would induce him to go out upon the moor at night…[a] ghastly presence constantly haunted him…”’ (23-24). Furthermore, Sir Charles heart attack was caused by the fear of seeing the hound and when he died, his face was distorted with fear. His fear directly ruled his life through keeping him away from the moor at night and worrying about
Through this storytelling, some of the qualities that the monsters had, such as anti-god tendencies, no honor, and isolation are some of the qualities that the Anglo-Saxons feared and disapproved of. An Anglo-Saxon fear that can be found through
In Hound of the Baskervilles written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Watson have a special type of relationship.In the beginning the reader is shown that Dr.Watson is a foil to Sherlock Holmes.The meaning of “Foil”s a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.In the book the reader see’s 3 thing that are always memorable.Watson is seen as smart but Holmes will always be seen as a genius,Watson is very open while Holmes is very secretive,and both of them trust each other but as seen that Watson is the one that trust more.Over time the reader can tell that Watson and Holmes are alike but very different which makes them great partners.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Arthur Conan Doyle 's most famous works. The novel is the prime example of a Gothic Detective Story. Written during the first year of the 20th Century, the novel is a reflection of the concerns and issues that were prevalent at the time. The novel incorporates beliefs that were widely popular, including atavism and criminality. Although the novel is viewed as just another addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon, there are deeper philosophical conflicts that reflect the time period in which the novel was written.
The setting of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is very important to the book’s story. In the beginning of the story, the setting is late 18th century London, where Sherlock Holmes and his colleague, John Watson live. Sherlock and John live in a small, yet upscale flat on Baker Street in London. Tobacco smoke often fills this apartment, and this is where he gets a lot of his thinking about theories and threads done for cases. The book itself states, “As I entered, however, my fears were set at rest, for it was the acrid fumes of strong coarse tobacco which took me by the throat and set me coughing.” This shows that while Sherlock is left alone to think, he smokes huge amounts of tobacco. The text also later states, “‘Yes, I have thought a good deal throughout the course of the day.’” When Watson leaves Sherlock to think about the case and consider theories, SHerlock sits alone in the flat, smokes tobacco, and solely focuses on the case at hand.