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Running head: ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL IN THE WINTER DARK
Analysisof the novel In the Winter Dark
Plot
Thenarration is introduced by an ambiance of tranquility. Jacob andRonnie enjoy a peaceful engagement as they help one another withtheir chores. However, all is not merry because Ronnie’s cow isentangled on a fence, “mad with pain from its engorged udder”.The story changes mood when something strange happens. A dog thatbelongs to the Stubbs family is decapitated by an unseen thing.Maurice, Ida, Ronnie and Jacob leave on a search to find out whatterrorizes their village. Though they progress in fear and confusionbecause they totally have no idea what the thing is that killed thedog, they, nonetheless, leave the house for a hunt. The storyrevolves around four characters Maurice, Ida, Ronnie, and Jacob. Thenarrator is Maurice, telling the ordeals of their quest. Thenarrative is based in a village that lies in a valley. They arerelentless in their search for they leave the next day again, Stubbsswearing that he should be the one to catch that killer. Theirpersistence is proved in page 84 paragraph 2 where it is written, “We went out again in the ute and saw nothing.” After all, thattranspired, they return to the house with unsatisfactory results. Itonly sinks them to an unnecessary argument.
Characters
Itis an area that communicates the emotions and social qualities of thepersons involved in the story. A trait that spreads through all thecharacters is the daring character. Even though they have witnessedan event that is scary and unfathomable, they fearlessly brave thenight and leave for the search. They are also very sensitive asconfirmed by their concern for the loss of an animal. The peculiarityof their dog`s death worries them not just to sit back and wait foranother attack. Maurice is humorous by the way he is satirical in thenarration of a pig’s human tendencies. It is a pig that couldrescue children from a burning house. Ida is sickly because of herold age. She complains of her condition, the constant headaches thathit her sharply that she is frightened to move her eyes.
Narrativevoice
Thenarrator is Maurice Stubbs. He narrates in the first person tense,commonly using the word we and I. It is observed in page 76 paragraph6 as he says, “ I could hear myself half choking in the middle ofthe night.” The narrator is involved in the events that occur inthe narrative, which to some he contributes. The narrators voice isan interior monologue which entails the trend of thoughts heard bythe audience. The voice shows the narrator`s view in how the readersunderstand it (Krogh & Piekut, 2015).
Narrativestructure
Thestory is set in a village valley. A river runs through the valley,and a swamp is particularly existent. The story begins where Jacoband Ronnie share in chores. They apparently seem to enjoy the companyof one another. The narrative has four main characters, MauriceStubbs and his wife Ida, and Jacob, their neighbor. Ronnie, theheavily pregnant girl, is also a character. At one point in thenovella, something strange happens that causes the integration of thefour characters. An unseen animal attacks livestock in the villagevalley. Terrorizing farms and mainly, something peculiar happens atthe Stubbs’. Their dog is decapitated, and its head left lifeless.The characters venture on a search. They are all affected, and theevents have raised concerns among them. The events that unfold in thevalley cause fear and confusion because they are terrifying in allsense. Having consolidated the only available evidence, they suspectthat this could be the work of a feral cat. The characters cometogether in the quest to find out what is this thing that wreakshavoc across the village. In the same vein, they end up sharingmoments they would not have had things been as they were formerly.
Setting
Thenarrative is based in the village that lies along a valley. Thecharacters (Ida and Ronnie) develop this truth by arguing about whocomes from the village and how city people carry out themselves. Itis no doubt to the narrator and others that Jacob and Ronnie are citypeople while Maurice and his wife are village dwellers. In page 80,Ida after listening to a conversation between Maurice and thepasserby, declares, “that’s the difference between you and me. Weare farmers”. The village in the valley appears to exist in theseclusion of the rest of the world. The narrative identify a fewpeople who live in the village. On page 76 is a description of theterrain of the village and what possibly also enjoy habitation inthis setting. The narrator states that “ Now and then, a roofloated by like a ghost, or a fox hid arrogant behind the blaze ofits eyes as it retreated deeper into the bush.” it is certainly avillage where such can be beheld.
Symbolism
Itis the application of symbols in novels to express more to theaudience than the symbols themselves do (Krogh & Piekut, 2015).In this narrative, the narrator uses symbolism to represent a hiddenpoint he addresses. In a conversation between him and a passerby, heuses a pig to narrate the character of a kind and sensitive human. Hespeaks sarcastically in a manner that causes humor. His wife Idaexploded into shrieks and giggles. The narrator talks of how the pigrescued his children from a burning house. He says that the pigworked him out of debt and even sorted out his marriage troubles.
Reference
Krogh,E. & Piekut, A. (2015). Voice and narrative in L1 Writing. L1Educational Studies In Language And Literature,15S.I. Scand. L1 Res.(Scand.L1 Res.). http://dx.doi.org/10.17239/l1esll-2015.15.01.10