One of the most common dilemmas of modern times is whether to live in the city or to move to suburbs. With an increase in urbanization, more people are moving to the industrial cities in pursuit of alternative lifestyle and jobs. Life in city and suburbs can be compared and contrasted with various aspects in mind since they share quite some details in as much as they are vastly different. The differences of suburbs and the cities are their facilities, education, living costs, but the similarities between them are in their language, religion, laws, and government. Among the biggest benefits of living in the suburbs is that they tend to be more affordable than cities. There is a huge difference in property tax rates too. Property taxes are higher in more expensive areas of the city.
Foreshadowing: Henry James uses foreshadowing by writing his narrator to reflect upon her past actions and suggest that worst events are to occur in the future. This foreshadowing contributes to the novel’s theme of the correlation between appearance and personality/character. Throughout the novel, the narrator (the governess) mentions how she was so captivated by the charms of Flora and Miles, describing how innocent and pleasant they seemed. Often after, however, she foreshadows that their outward beauty is a tool of manipulation and that they were hiding darker secrets that were soon to be revealed later in the book.
Style
Two words that can describe the author’s overall style are as follows: interpretable and complex. These two words encompass James’ style because it exemplifies the vagueness that he chooses to write with, combined with his choice of diction/syntax. Every occurrence or significant event in the book is left up to interpretation. For example, during the governess’ encounter with Peter Quint, an event ridden her with fear and questions, she commits the exact same scenario with Mrs. Grose: “I gave her something of the shock that I had received. She turned white, and this made me ask myself if I had blanched as much. She stared, in short, and retreated on my lines…she had passed out…I wonder why she should be scared.” (21) There is a clear parallel and cycle that is symbolic to the lore of the novel, possibly foreshadowing a certain event or connection with other ghosts. Whether that is a viable interpretation is left to the readers, and it acts as a useful blackhole in the book meant for imagination.
Another example that display James’ mastery at creating interpretable writing was at the end of the book where Miles unforeseeably dies. His death can be due to many theories: that he was dispossessed from Quint and that led to his death; he died from pure horror and panic; or the governess, out of her disillusionment, smothered the boy to death. Since the death was the closing scene of the book, no explanation is provided. The complexity in which James arranges events and words adds to the plot of the story well.
How does the author’s diction, grammar, sentence structure, organization, point of view, detail, syntax, and irony enhance the meaning of the work and show his/her attitude?
The diction, grammar, and syntax of the novel are very formal and reflect the writing style of the time period in which it was written: the late 19th century. Complex words like “perturbation” and lugubriously” wouldn’t be commonly understood today, but back then, this educated vocabulary would provide vivid adjectives that’d enhance the imagery of the characters and their actions. The structured grammar and syntax convey the narrator’s
