The Enormous Radio: A Narrative Analysis

In the short story by John Cheever called "The Enormous Radio" it begins with Jim and Irene Westcotts appearing like the perfect American family. Cheever describes them as "the kind of people who seem to strike that satisfactory average of income, endeavor, and respectability" (Cheever 1). What is ironic about this story is the Westcotts are far from being the perfect family and the community they try to conform to is just as imperfect as the Westcotts themselves. A way the Westcotts try to live up to their society is by keeping secret the fact that they listen to the radio and attend musical events. This is because these activities were not something members of their community did. For example, Cheever says the "Westcotts differed

On page 6, paragraph 17 reads “Yet the sound increased- and what could I do?... a low, dull, quick sound- much such a sound as a watch when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath… I talked more quietly - more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased.” This show that the narrator is getting overwhelmed because he killed the man. This is important because the author is trying to build suspense for what’s to come. Another example of descriptive language is on page 3 paragraph “I heard a slight groan… it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief- it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe.” This shows that somehow the old man could sense that something bad was about to happen to him. This is important because in the story he groans many times a night, so it was like he was just waiting. Descriptive language was very important to the story, in that described everything the narrator and old man

As the grandmother makes Irene feel more and more secure in her new world, she moves farther away from Lootie and her

When introducing the first dialogue by the Captain the barber describes, “ he came in without a word.”(Tellez 2) which lacks an important description of who the “he” is and leaves it up to the reader who the person is and creates suspense by not including important info. Additionally, by not revealing who the “he” is the author establishes a lofty viewpoint of the story and helps with the plot development over time. As the author slowly reveals the background info more suspense is added for the readers to see if their descriptions and the author’s descriptions match. By using this method of a lofty viewpoint Tellez allows readers to connect with the story and develop suspense over time.

Tim O’Brien uses several rhetorical strategies in this story. A strategy that is easily found in the story is imagery. He uses a lot of sensory details to help the reader know what it feels like in a certain situation. “Except for the laughter things were quiet,” (67) and “You hear stuff

Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” and Tess Gallagher’s “Rain Flooding your Campfire” are good examples of intertextual dialogue between two writers. These two stories show us how two writers can grow and develop short stories differently from the same experience. There are similarities between the stories, such as the use of a first person narrator, the plot, setting, and also there is an interchange between the narrator and the blind man in both stories. But within these similarities there are also differences; the narrators are two different people with two very different views on the situation, and although there is an interchange between the characters they are two different types with two different messages. Gallagher’s story is a

The three stories The Tell-Tale Heart The Yellow Wallpaper, and Raven have a common narrator type, bringing about a sense of psychological horror within the themes of insanity.

After the Russians began complete occupation of Poland and Germany was driven out, Irene still couldn’t seem to catch a break. The Soviet Union was only a few steps better than the Germans, which gave Irene all the cause to continue her resistance. However, I noticed a stark difference in her character. She felt lost from both her friends and her family, and

After the First World War, many people were looking forward to good times. The 1920’s presented people with this time of fast-paced fun and adventure. Entertainment was the foremost part of everyday life during the 1920’s. Radio introduced a whole new practice of entertainment to people’s everyday lives. Likewise, through the utilization of the radio, people were able to experience a new medium to entertain themselves. Furthermore, the radio changed the face of society’s culture through its widespread use. In addition, radios provided people with a new, effective and efficient means of communication. Radio was a fundamental aspect in people’s lives during the 1920’s as it provided many people with news and entertainment in their

Short stories have fully developed themes but appear significantly shorter and less elaborate than novels. A similar theme found in short stories “Winter Dreams” written by Scott F. Fitzgerald and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner included the social and environmental influences that encouraged and controlled the character’s life and decisions. In “Winter Dreams”, the main protagonist-- Dexter-- fell into a fixation over a young, whimsical blueblood, Judy Jones. His obsession led him to believe that Judy Jones reciprocated his feelings for her, leaving him bare and mortal-- despite prior beliefs. Following her father’s death, Miss Emily fell into a dark obscurity due to the pressure and compulsion of having to carry on the honorable family name. While using a unique point of view (first person peripheral), “A Rose for Emily” followed a mysterious and desirable woman named Miss Emily as her hometown tried to understand her peculiar ways and began to find her disgraceful. By comparing and contrasting these two literary pieces, a similar organization-- including the writers’ purpose and themes-- should become clear. By using literary devices-- such as point of view, dramatic irony, detail, and figurative language-- Scott F. Fitzgerald and William Faulkner conducted two short stories similar in aim and reasoning, probable for contrasting and comparing elements within the parallel writings.

The author writes the story in a very interesting way. The way that there are only a few descriptions scattered about and that it focuses on dialogue is what allows us to figure out what the characters are speaking about and to find the intentions behind their words. The subject of this short narrative stands out boldly. Though it was written in

Irene wants to control her relationship with Clare and seems frustrated as she loses control when Clare is around. One occasion, Irene tries hard not to accept Clare’s invitation to meet her but ends up going. Later, Irene’s anger goes away just by the power of Clare’s smile, "And under her potent smile a part of Irene's annoyance with herself fled”. This constant loose of power makes Irene vulnerable and the possible affair between Clare and Brian gives Irene a motive for hating her instead of admitting her lesbianism and losing the life she has worked so hard to build.

Richard Rupp asserts that the movement "From external to internal sorrow is only a short, inevitable step" (109). This step of internalizing the sorrow occurs in several different situations. The first one occurs when the Westcotts are returning from the dinner party. Irene says "They’re really such nice people, aren’t they? They have such nice faces. Actually, they’re so much nicer than a lot of the people we know" (822). Irene is beginning to recognize that the people they know have deceiving faces and are full of sorrow; however, the full recognition that these nice people, along with her own family, are hiding secrets behind innocent faces as well, has not been internalized quite yet. The second situation involves the discussion between Irene and Jim. Irene says to Jim "Life is too terrible, too sordid and awful. But we’ve never been like that, have we, darling? Have we? I mean, we’ve always been good and decent and loving to one

    Many authors use the personification of inanimate objects to symbolize the feelings and expressions of their characters. One example of this is in John Cheever’s short story, "The Enormous Radio." Although critics argue that the characteristics of the radio are the opposite of those of Jim and Irene Westcott, the radio actually reflects the couple’s life.

When the company ran into financial difficulties in the mid-1920s, "It was Sam Warner 's interest in the new medium of radio that led directly to Warner Brothers investing in the Vitaphone." Warner Brothers then, made the first full-length all-talking film, and the first all-talking colour film in the 1920s.