Genre
A gothic suspense novel
Setting and Context
The action takes place at different time lapses in England. At present time, the reader observes the house of the elderly Vida Winter. At the past time, the action takes place at Angelfield, where Vida lived as a child.
Narrator and Point of View
This novel has many main storytellers. At first, the novel is narrated by the first-person Margaret Lea, who narrates her personality and purpose of visitation to Vida Winter. Then, the novel is narrated by another first-person – Vida Winter, who narrates her life at the estate of the Angelfield family. The presence of Margaret as a storyteller is essential because she is the voice the reader can trust. She has to make sure that Vida does not lie, she uncovers all mysteries in Vida’s past and it is thanks to her that Arelius finds his family in the end.
Tone and Mood
The mood is gothic, mystical and mysterious because the Angelfield family has many secrets and ghosts at the estate. Ghosts are often a symbol of a pasta trauma never faced that comes back to haunt the characters. Gothic elements help to denounce contemporary problems (Wolfreys 2002; Olson 2011)
Protagonist and Antagonist
This book does not have the main protagonist or antagonist. Every character turns out to be a victim of his/her own destiny and he/ she has only two ways – either to do everything for happy and long life like Vida, or to fall into decay like Isabelle and Charlie. However, as for the twins, Adeline is an antagonist because of her several murders and awful behavior. Moreover she is the “bad” twin characterized by all those masculine traits that society can not accept.
Major Conflict
A major conflict exists between the twins. When Adeline and Emmeline are children, they love each other. However, when they begin to grow up, the girls hate each other. Adeline always beats Emmeline within an inch of her life. In addition, Adeline tries to kill Emmeline’s child because of her stupid jealousy.
Climax
The climax happens, when Adeline burns the estate. All the torments and fear disappear – Adeline will never kill anyone else because she died on fire. Vida and Emmeline can live peacefully. Another turning point in the story is when Margaret reading Hester’s diary discovers the truth. Once again literature is a powerful tool.
Foreshadowing
Incest that happens between Charlie and Isabelle foreshadows the mental diseases of their twin daughters.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to the most famous novels – “Wuthering Heights”, “The Woman in White”, “Jane Eyre”, “The Castle of Otranto”, “Lady Audley’s Secret” and “The Spectre Bride”.
Imagery
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Paradox
The existence of ghosts at the estate is the main paradox. Perhaps, all the characters believe in ghosts, but these facts are only fairy tales.
The name Vida could mean “life” in Spanish but also “empty” from Vide in French. Since Vida Winter is an invented name, the reader is left to ask himself what is the real meaning of her name.
Parallelism
The novel has a parallelism of good and evil. Emmeline is an angel because she is intelligent, obedient, and cheerful. Nevertheless, Adeline is a devil, because she kills people and destroys everything at the estate. There is moreover, parallelism in how the two main characters develop: as the truth is progressively revealed, Vida and Margaret open up and are capable of facing their past.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The libraries and books personify intelligence and knowledge.
Incest personifies violence, brutality, and human mental diseases.
The house is haunted by ghosts but it is itself a ghost.
