The Gothic Tradition In The Falls

Born on16June1938in Lockport, New York, the prolific and versatile writer Joyce Carol Oates has often been regarded as a Gothic writer because of her abundant use of Gothic conventions in her works. She also employs many Gothic conventions in her newly-published work The Falls, a book arousing much attention since its publication.Focusing around the central image "Niagara Falls", this novel tells the ups and downs of Ariah’s life. Firstly, her newly-wed husband plunges himself into the falls; then she settles down in the Luna Park around the falls with her second husband Dirk; after her children grow up, she wishes to bring the kids to the falls, which in the same way appeals to the kids. Finally, the novel ends with Dirk’s memoriam held nearby the falls. The falls are within the readers’ sight throughout the novel.This novel is featured with a strong Gothic style in an all-round way; novels with such style are so powerful and thought-provoking that they can waken the sleeping mind and urge people to reexamine the meaning of life. This thesis intends to find out how the Gothic tradition is employed in The Falls from the perspectives of its violence and religious themes, character portrayal and grotesque style, and how it bestows this novel realistic connotation and alerts the ignorant people.The main body of the thesis consists of three chapters. The first chapter focuses on the Gothic themes in this novel. Although Gothic novels have undergone various changes in the past200years, death still remains one of its most typical themes. The novel describes a series of horrible events:Gilbert’s mysterious suicide, Dirk’s being murdered, the death of Mr. Mayweatber (the kidnapper), and Dirk’s memoriam. Death dominates the whole novel, endowing the story a mysterious and horrible atmosphere. Besides, in portraying the characters and describing their inner-mind workings, Oates uses abundant violence language, which greatly adds to its horrible effects. In addition to the omnipresent death and violence, Oates also describes the fictional characters’ understanding of the religion and their converted religious belief. In the novel, the traditional religious belief is challenged:living in consumerism-oriented modern society, should people cherish belief? If yes, what kind of belief should be held?Chapter two deals with the characterization of victims of all kinds. Ariah, the heroine, falls a victim of the patriarchal society in her first marriage. But she is not defeated by her miserable fate; on the contrary, she turns into an independent mother and gains happiness and respect eventually. This chapter also examines the fates and personalities of the two male protagonists, whose misfortunes reveal the impotence of the government and the darkness of the society.Chapter three focuses on the novel’s grotesque style, in particular, its mysterious setting, ghost and nightmare depictions. In traditional Gothic fictions, the scenes are often set in gloomy places like the dark subterranean castles, the outlandish and desolate houses, and the confined decaying abbey. However, the Gothic novels develop with times and acquire new features. In The Falls, Oates places her story against the modern scenic spot Niagara Falls, which is the symbol of supernatural power and seduces people to do many unimaginably queer things. Meanwhile, traditional Gothic ghost stories and nightmares frequently appear in the novel, which intensify the mysterious and grotesque color and foreshadow the succeeding misfortunes in the novel. Finally, this chapter explores the absurd behaviors of some characters.To conclude, The Falls has a kinship with the Gothic tradition in terms of its themes, characterization and settings, etc. With this Gothic feature of The Falls, Oates successfully arouses readers’attention and exposes the darkness of the society and the limitation of the religion.