Genre
Fiction, Gothic Horror
Setting and Context
Warings House, a large formal home recently inherited by Joseph Hooper
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of Edmund Hooper, the ten year old son of Joseph.
Tone and Mood
The tone is suspenseful and disturbing. The mood is manipulative and combative.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Edmund and Charles are both protagonist and antagonist, depending on whose point of view one is reading the book with.
Major Conflict
There is conflict between Edmund and Charles because Edmund is the son of the owner of the house and feels that Charles is an unwanted interloper.
Climax
Charles commits suicide because he does not want to have to live with Edmund as his stepbrother; Edmund feels a sense of triumph because he has the house back to himself again.
Foreshadowing
The news of his mother's engagement to Joseph foreshadows Charles' suicide.
Understatement
Charles and Edmund are stated not to like each other which understates the sinister nature of their intentions for each other and the fact they are each determined to do whatever it takes to get rid of the other.
Allusions
The novel alludes to real historical monuments in England and France, specifically Leydell Castle, which are open to the public.
Imagery
The imagery is very dark and sinister in the way that old gothic and Victorian novels are. There is a great deal in the narrative that is almost Hitchcockian and the reader imagines the plot in black and white. There seems to be no color in Hill's descriptions and so the book is almost like a black and white ghost story.
Paradox
At first Charles seems to be thriving whilst Edmund is incapacitated but this is a temporary state of affairs and only goes to highlight how much Charles hates his life once Edmund is back in it.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Charles' growing confidence and the fact that he is able to enjoy life without Edmund around him when Edmund is recuperating from his accident.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
