The Boarded Window is a short
horror story written by Ambrose Bierce and is set in the early 1800’s. Rather
than typing a full summary, I’ll provide a link to a page with an accurate and
simple one:
The above page summarises the
story paragraph by paragraph and explains practically everything required for
direct questions. Strangely however, the page doesn’t make a single reference
to magic realism.
Magic realism is, in simplest
terms, any
form of art that, while encompassing a range of subtly different concepts,
share in common an acceptance of magic in the rational world. An accurate
example of a magic realism painting is included below.
The story, ‘The Boarded Window’,
makes extensive use of the magic realism in its closing paragraphs – in which
the man’s wife’s corpse is attacked by the panther. The all too elements of
human fear and panic are expertly conveyed through the flashes of
lightning-illuminated vision that the man gets. This comprehendible fear is
contrasted in the final lines by the discovery of a piece of the animal’s ear between the wife's teeth. This contrast may give rise to magic realism. This is most
certainly not the only way that magic realism can be found in the piece; it is
however, the most easily noticeable.
The story is an open-ended one in
the fact that the mystery of his wife is never resolved (Was she dead before?
Is she a zombie? Was she possessed? Is she dead now?). This uncertainty, the
intentional failure of the author to clear up such questions, is a crucial
component of an open ended story.
A slight correction, the ear piece was found in between the wife's teeth. You are doing a great job. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank You :)
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