ENC1102
Literary Analysis
A Haunted House
The characters in the story are the couple that lives in the home currently and the couple that is dead that use to live in the home previously and wanders through the house. The couple that lives in the house is not afraid. They now that two ghosts are going through their home looking for something. The other couple, that is ghosts, is harmless. They mean the narrator and her husband no harm. They wander in and out of the house looking for something that is their “treasure”. It states that they leave the doors open and “whatever hour you woke there was a door shutting.” The plot in “A Haunted House” is Man vs. super natural. There was not a direct conflict between the couples but throughout the short story they had to deal with intruders that were searching for “treasure.” These ghosts did not harm the narrator and her husband. In fact they were just searching for “Treasure.” The treasure was finally found when they came across the couple that showed true love and joy. We found out that the “treasure” of life was the joy and love that two people shared in a relationship. The setting took place in the “haunted house.” It went through all parts of the house such as the kitchen, outside and upstairs. The ghosts would go through the entire house to search for love and joy that two people share. Symbolism that is used throughout the story is the use of “it” and “here.” Woolf plays with the word "here" in what follows: "From room to room they went, hand in hand, lifting here, opening there, making sure-a ghostly couple." Also "'Here we left it,' she said. And he added, 'Oh, but here too!' 'It's upstairs,' she murmured." Woolf leaves the word "here" undefined, but the repetitions give it importance and signify its importance. These uses also make the reader wonder what they are looking for. What is “it”? And if “it” is “here” then how is it possible to be throughout the entire house? Woolf also