Copyright
2018 by Gary L. Pullman
Horror fiction is a
literature of loss. The losses, of course, are significant: no one
has ever written a novel or produced a film about a character
stubbing his toe.
Often, the losses are physical (a loss of ability or a loss of limb) or personal (a loss of freedom or a loss of dignity).
However, losses may also be psychological, or emotional (a
loss of identity or a loss of sanity).
Likewise, losses may be social (a loss of kinship or a loss of family members or friends).
Other losses may be spiritual (a loss of faith or a loss of salvation). The losses depicted in horror fiction result from a variety of causes, but they are established, most often, through particular situations or specific settings.
Often, the losses are physical (a loss of ability or a loss of limb) or personal (a loss of freedom or a loss of dignity).
Likewise, losses may be social (a loss of kinship or a loss of family members or friends).
Other losses may be spiritual (a loss of faith or a loss of salvation). The losses depicted in horror fiction result from a variety of causes, but they are established, most often, through particular situations or specific settings.
A loss introduces a type
of change, physical, personal, psychological, social, religious, or
otherwise. Often, a preliminary loss, significant in itself, is a
prelude to another, greater, perhaps vital, loss—for example,
death. A loss may also be a test of love, of faith, or of a
relationship.
Literary criticism based upon the loss suffered by the main character (and, to a lesser degree, other characters) must begin by identifying the particular loss that the protagonist has suffered. What type of loss occurred? When and where did the loss occur? Why did the loss occur? How does the loss change the character? (Most horror stories largely ignore the last question, although the question of what caused the loss to occur may, on occasion, be more important than any of the other questions.)
Literary criticism based upon the loss suffered by the main character (and, to a lesser degree, other characters) must begin by identifying the particular loss that the protagonist has suffered. What type of loss occurred? When and where did the loss occur? Why did the loss occur? How does the loss change the character? (Most horror stories largely ignore the last question, although the question of what caused the loss to occur may, on occasion, be more important than any of the other questions.)
In other words, in a critical analysis of a horror story, whether it takes place upon the page or the soundstage, should be applied to all the elements of fiction. (The answer to the question “HOW?” typically represents the story's turning point, or climax. Often, it helps to start the “WHY?” answer with the infinitive “to.” if an element is unimportant in summarizing the story, it can be omitted.)
Here are a few examples.
Question
|
Answer
|
WHO lost? | Carietta (“Carrie”) White |
WHAT was lost? | dignity |
WHEN did the loss occur? | |
WHERE did the loss occur? | her high school prom |
HOW did the loss occur? | pigs' blood is dumped on her |
WHY did the loss occur? | to humiliate her |
Carrie
(novel) by Stephen King
After
identifying each element in relation to the question regarding the
loss suffered by the protagonist, write a single sentence that
summarizes the plot. In doing so, the order of the answers may be
rearranged:
Carrie White loses her dignity when bullies dump pigs'
blood on her to humiliate her at her high school prom.
Carrie dies after she avenges herself against her
tormentors.
Question
|
Answer
|
WHO lost? | Carietta (“Carrie”) White |
WHAT was lost? | dignity |
WHEN did the loss occur? | |
WHERE did the loss occur? | her high school prom |
HOW did the loss occur? | pigs' blood is dumped on her |
WHY did the loss occur? | to humiliate her |
“The
Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
A narrator is arrested when he hallucinates after
murdering an old man in his home to rid himself of his victim's “evil
eye.”
Unable to escape his guilty conscience, the narrator suffers psychological torment.
Unable to escape his guilty conscience, the narrator suffers psychological torment.
(Note: Although it seems that the narrator loses his sanity in the story, he does not; he has lost his sanity before the story begins; it is his freedom that he loses when the police arrest him.)
Question
|
Answer
|
WHO lost? |
Nancy Thompson
|
WHAT was lost? |
friends
|
WHEN did the loss occur? | |
WHERE did the loss occur? |
hometown
|
HOW did the loss occur? |
attacks by Freddy Krueger, a
supernatural killer
|
WHY did the loss occur? |
to avenge his death at the hands of his
victim's parents
|
A
Nightmare on Elm Street
Nancy Thompson loses her friends to attacks by Freddy Krueger, a supernatural killer, who murders his victims to avenge his own death at their parents' hands.
Question
|
Answer
|
WHO lost? |
Norman Bates
|
WHAT was lost? |
identity
|
WHEN did the loss occur? | |
WHERE did the loss occur? |
Bates Motel and house
|
HOW did the loss occur? |
arrest for murdering Marion Crane and
private detective Milton Arbogast
|
WHY did the loss occur? |
to avenge his death at the hands of his
victim's parents
|
Psycho
(movie)
Norman Bates loses his identity, becoming his “mother,”
after he murders Marion Crane after she checks into the Bates Motel
so he cannot have a relationship with her and murders private
detective Milton Arbogast to prevent him from discovering the truth
about Marion's disappearance.
Norman ceases to exist as himself, becoming completely absorbed by his alternate personality.
Question
|
Answer
|
WHO lost? |
Julie James
|
WHAT was lost? |
friends; security
|
WHEN did the loss occur? | |
WHERE did the loss occur? |
hometown
|
HOW did the loss occur? |
murders by intended murder victim
|
WHY did the loss occur? |
to avenge himself against the victim's
attempt to murder him
|
I Know
What You Did Last Summer (movie)
Julie James loses her friends and her security after
their intended murder victim kills them and threatens her to avenge
himself.
Julie lives in constant fear of being killed at any moment.
As
these examples suggest, the theme of horror fiction is the effects of
loss.
A
few of the other many types of loss that may occur in horror fiction,
their effects, and their contexts include:
Type of Loss
|
Possible Effects
|
Context
|
Perception (i.
e., blindness, deafness, tactile insensitivity, inability to
smell, inability to taste)
|
helplessness; loss of self-confidence;
timidity
|
situation or setting
|
Ability (e. g., mobility) (i. e., being
bound, incarcerated, or trapped)
|
helplessness; loss of self-confidence;
timidity
|
situation or setting
|
Assistance (i. e. emergency services),
as a result of being isolated
|
helplessness; loss of self-confidence;
timidity
|
situation or setting
|
Effectiveness (e. g., an amputation or
a broken limb)
|
vulnerability; loss of self-confidence;
timidity
|
situation
|
Sanity
|
vulnerability; confusion; poor judgment
|
situation
|
Control (e. g., as a result of demonic
possession or being a patient)
|
autonomy; independence; confidence
|
situation
|
Family or friends
|
emotional and social support
|
situation
|