Genre
Horror
Setting and Context
England, in a dilapidated home
Narrator and Point of View
Narrated through a series of flashbacks
Tone and Mood
"Dolly: A Ghost Story" features a suspenseful, creepy tone in line with the book's horror genre.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonists: Edward and Leonora, Antagonist: the Doll/Leonora
Major Conflict
Leonora's mother sends her a doll, which causes unstable Leonora to become insane and deranged.
Climax
Leonora, enraged, begins to pose a threat to both herself and others around her. Edward and Aunt Kimbrel must find a way to subdue her.
Foreshadowing
Leonora glimpses her reflection in a pool mirror. Upon seeing it, she shrieks and runs away, foreshadowing a similar event later in the story.
Understatement
The doll can be seen as an understatement of Leonora's vengeful nature, a personification of her dark side.
Allusions
The book's plot alludes to other formidable horror stories centering around dolls.
Imagery
Throughout the book, Susan Hill uses imagery to describe the creepy house and setting.
Paradox
No significant instances
Parallelism
Leonora and the doll are parallel in nature. The doll does not make Leonora evil; it brings out the selfish, vengeful side of her and magnifies it.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
No significant instances
Personification
Leonora can be seen as the doll personified.
