The Griding Place By Gertrude Atherton
The 1896 short story “The Striding Place” by Gertrude Atherton is one tale that could be described as a chilling story that is gothic in nature. Many factors can characterize a story as gothic, even features as simple as the author's and narrator's word choice. This story can be called gothic because it has multiple elements that help prove this classification is correct. The gothic setting,“ high, even overwrought emotion”(Elements of the Gothic Novel), and supernatural or unexplainable element can show that this is naturally a gothic story.
Gothic stories are filled with a mysterious and dark atmosphere. The setting could definitely make or break a gothic story. The bleak night time setting in “The Striding Place” is added to the list of …show more content…
As soon as the story begins we can see that Weigell is anxious about the disappearance of his best friend. “Weigall did not believe for a moment that Wyatt Gifford was dead, and although it was impossible not to be affected by the general uneasiness” (233) and “Weigall’s affection for his friend was too deep to companion with tranquillity in the present state of doubt”(233), both show how he was worried about his friend vanishing. That is just one emotion that possessed this character; we can also feel his nostalgia and longing for moments with his best friend again. “He smiled as he recalled a remark of Gifford’s” (233) and “Weigall strolled along, smoking, and thinking of his friend, his pranks” (233-234), show that during his walk through the woods he was reminiscing on his great moments with his friend. Suddenly, “Weigall’s superstitious terror left him” (236) so we know the next feeling he experienced was terror after he discovered a hand. The many emotions that Weigall felt were also felt by the readers as the story progressed on.
The foundation of Gothic stories is the supernatural element it brings. We see this supernatural or unexplainable event in the last line of the story where the narrator says “there was no face”(237). The narrator finds his childhood best friends body but without a face; this scenario is indeed an unexplainable event. Finding a faceless body is a
Gothic stories are filled with a mysterious and dark atmosphere. The setting could definitely make or break a gothic story. The bleak night time setting in “The Striding Place” is added to the list of …show more content…
As soon as the story begins we can see that Weigell is anxious about the disappearance of his best friend. “Weigall did not believe for a moment that Wyatt Gifford was dead, and although it was impossible not to be affected by the general uneasiness” (233) and “Weigall’s affection for his friend was too deep to companion with tranquillity in the present state of doubt”(233), both show how he was worried about his friend vanishing. That is just one emotion that possessed this character; we can also feel his nostalgia and longing for moments with his best friend again. “He smiled as he recalled a remark of Gifford’s” (233) and “Weigall strolled along, smoking, and thinking of his friend, his pranks” (233-234), show that during his walk through the woods he was reminiscing on his great moments with his friend. Suddenly, “Weigall’s superstitious terror left him” (236) so we know the next feeling he experienced was terror after he discovered a hand. The many emotions that Weigall felt were also felt by the readers as the story progressed on.
The foundation of Gothic stories is the supernatural element it brings. We see this supernatural or unexplainable event in the last line of the story where the narrator says “there was no face”(237). The narrator finds his childhood best friends body but without a face; this scenario is indeed an unexplainable event. Finding a faceless body is a