SUmmary |
Why is it Horror? |
The Moonlit Road is a gothic horror short story written by Ambrose Bierce about Julia Hetman’s murder. The story is expressed through three different point of views. In Joel Hetman, Jr.’s statement, he is called home from Yale University because of his mother’s passing. On a different night, he and his father were walking down a moonlit road when his father started acting strange. His father heard noises but Joel Hetman, Jr. did not hear a single sound. His father’s face turned pale and he had vanished into the woods. No one has heard of him or his fate since then.
In the father’s, Joel Hetman, point of view, he states the events that happened the night of the murder. He had suspected his wife of infidelity so he faked a business trip to Nashville so he could come home early and catch her in the act. When he got home, he thought he had been right because he saw a figure running out of the house. The father bolted angrily to his wife’s room when he saw her on the floor with marks around her throat, not breathing. After he called his son home, they went on a walk on a moonlit road. He heard noses and his son had heard none. Then, he saw his wife’s ghost and he fled into the forest, never seen again. The third point of view was Julia Hetman’s through a medium. She was alone without her husband and she heard noises in the hallway. She cowered into the corner of her bedroom. After she heard the footsteps go down the stairs and stop, she screamed for help. That’s when the figure came upstairs and strangled her, ending her life. She was then a ghost trying to contact her husband and son. This finally happened while her family were walking down a moonlit road. Only her husband had saw her, but he disappeared into the forest and was never seen or heard from again. |
Moonlit Road is a short story using terror. The story also uses metonymy of gloom and horror. The plot structure is a big part of how it is a horror story. All the action happens at night or in a sunless environment. The main characters also isolates themselves. Julia isolates herself in the tight space in the corner of her room. Joel isolates himself when he vanishes into the forest. The mood of the story is suspenseful which is another reason why it is horror.
COMPARISONe with AmontilladoAmontillado and Moonlit Road are two similar stories. Both the horror short stories involve murder and gloomy settings. Both stories do not have mystery. In Amontillado, the reader knows exactly what the main character is going to do and in Moonlit Road we know exactly what happens because of the setting and key words in the text. Also, both stories have metonymy of gloom and horror. In Amontillado there are trapped characters, howling winds, and footsteps. In Moonlit Road there is footsteps and trapped characters. Both stories are very similar.
These two stories do not have many differences. The setting is a big differences. Amontillado uses a lot of gothic architecture. Moonlit Road focuses more on the plot and less of the descriptions of the setting. Moonlit Road has three different character’s points of view. Amontillado uses one character’s point of view. These stories have few differences. |
Literary elementsConflict- There is a man vs man conflict. This happened between Julia and the creature who strangled her. Julia struggles against another person.
Dynamic- Joel is a dynamic character. He undergoes an important change because of action in plot. He vanishes after being frightened by the ghost of his wife.
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Protagonist: The protagonist in this story is Julia. The whole story is about her and her death. She is also the reason her husband vanishes.
Setting- The story took place at night, the father coming home and the walk on the moonlit road.
Flat- Julia is a flat character. She is predictable. The reader can tell what she is going to do once something happens.
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