Speech_-_Gothic_Genre

Good morning…. I have chosen to talk to you about ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ written by Joe Hill. The story revolves around Judas Coyne or "Jude", an ageing rock star who has a penchant for dating twenty-something year olds and collecting objects that are morbid, grotesque, and just plain creepy. When Jude comes across an online auction offering a ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ supposedly containing a ghost, he can’t resist adding to his collection. Not long after the box arrives at Jude’s farm, he discovers the ghost is in fact very real and it didn't arrive on his doorstep by coincidence. The seller's sister, Anna, was Jude’s girlfriend. She committed suicide not long after being dumped and kicked off Jude’s farm. Her recently deceased stepfather, Craddock- a hypnotist and occultist—plans to exact vengeance on Jude by hounding him, and anyone he cares about, to their deaths. Although Heart-Shaped Box was Hill’s first published novel, he has been writing stories ever since he can remember. It still plays a big part in his life as both his parents are published authors. Growing up his father would involve him and his siblings in creative writing games, as well as literary arguments around the table. I should probably mention now that Joe Hill was born Joseph Hillstrom King son of Tabitha King and Stephen King; a man who made the horror genre his own. Hill drew on a number of things he was passionate about to create protagonist Jude. For example Jude channels people like Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson in appearance and attitude. He listens to classic rock and metal bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails and Lynard Skynard. Hill himself is a fan of those artists and tried to incorporate that into Jude’s character. He uses the music as a defining character feature and later as something that helps Jude when he is helpless. Recurring themes throughout ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ are death, the afterlife and ghosts - both metaphorical and real. Jude has trouble escaping his past, particularly his father, going so far as to change his name. Although the circumstances are different, it parallels Hill’s own wish to escape his family name and the pressures and expectations being Stephen King’s son puts on him. This is evident in use of the pen name Joe Hill. Throughout the book, Hill gives us Jude’s back story in bits and pieces, adding depth and a deeper understanding of his character. Hill also uses a lot of descriptive language that allows the reader to really visualise the appearance of what is being described. For example chapter five opens with the line “forty minutes later, Jude drifted into the bathroom to soak his feet- size fourteen, flat arches and a constant source of pain to him.” This is a techniques are present in a lot of his work. It is something he picked up from his father’s writing exercises and advice as a kid as well as reading the stories of other ghost writers like Neil Gaiman. It is revealed later that Jude grew up on a farm in Louisiana in the fictional town of Moore’s Corner. Hill admits to never having been to the south but in fact basing the setting from the works of Alan Moore. He said in an interview “That’s why Jude’s hometown is Moore’s Corner, because it’s Alan Moore’s south. So my version has nothing to do with the real south.”The ghosts in the story are motifs and also symbols. Their repeated appearances and are a reminder that you can’t run from your past. No matter what you do your past will always be there hanging over your head or in the back of your mind. This relates to Hill as he adopted his pen name as a way to escape his father’s reputation, however he still felt pressure to write like his father. Craddock’s ghost and acts of revenge also symbolise karma. That because Jude was nasty to Anna he’s is getting what he deserves in the form of Craddock’s ghost terrorising him. This reflects the 21st century way of thinking as many people now believe in karma and that what goes around comes around.While it was only published in 2007, it is still a good example of gothic literature and indeed includes many of the key elements that make a text gothic. The Farm Jude grew up on and returns to is an old, dilapidated place with rotten wood and rusted nails located in the middle of a ghost town that was abandoned ages ago. Hill’s descriptions of it, as well as the memories associated with it send chills up the reader’s spine. It is exactly the type of place one would find in a gothic text. The farm is also part of the atmosphere created to scare the reader. The story uses certain characters traits, situations and descriptions of places to create a sense of foreboding mystery. For example the mist present around the farm. There are parts of the book that leave you horrified and are jump out at you moments; however Hill has also created an atmosphere throughout the book that builds and builds until it peaks at the end which is typical of Gothic story telling. It is clear that Jude is not the typical hero; he’s more of an anti hero. But that's the point -- if he didn't treat women callously and he weren't so completely selfish, no one would have tried to haunt him to death in the first place. This makes him a more interesting character than the rather bland good hero. Making the protagonist someone with flaws and a dark side is something many gothic writers do, it is evident particularly in vampire novels like Dracula. Gothic texts also have a villain who opposes the protagonist and is usually out for revenge because of something that happened to them or a loved one. In Heart Shaped Box the villain or villains presents themselves as Craddock McDermott and Jessica Price, step father and sister of Anna. They claim they are avenging Anna’s death for which they blame Jude, however as the story unfolds you find out there is more to them than you first thought. A feature that is prominent in Gothic fiction is the ‘explained supernatural’, when there is an explanation and acceptance of supernatural phenomena which usually blurs the line between reality and idealism. An example of this is when Craddock possess Georgia and nearly convinces her to shoot herself in the head and later slit her own throat. Hill almost has the readers believing this could have actually happen. I could go on with more examples but I think I’ve proven my point that while Heart shaped box isn’t your typical 19th century novel, with crumbling castles it still qualifies as a gothic text in its own right. Thank you.