Reinterpreting Gothic Mystery And American Dream In Joyce Carol Oates’ Because It Is Bitter And Because It Is My Heart

Abstract

This paper analyses how Joyce Carol Oates has used the Gothic to represent the contemporary American life meaningfully and effectively in her novel, Because It Is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart. The novel officially begins with the dead-body of Little Red Garlock, a sixteen-year-old boy, is found floating in the Cassadaga River near Hammond, New York. Though the story is told through flashbacks, the novel ultimately shows how Iris and Jinx, two of the persons connected to Little Red’s death, yearn to be a part of a family or community. However, this sense of belonging is denied to them, making them feel unwelcome and unaccepted by society. The characters in the novel think that using violence will solve their issues. The Americans even go so far as to kill individuals for a common issue. Occasionally, Americans attempt to define the American dream in a new way. Because it differs from the traditional notion of accumulating riches, it has a new meaning. She has demonstrated how the Gothic is a contemporary method of dealing with reality by experimenting with several Gothic elements in several contexts, including mystery, retaliation, death, murder, family curse, haunted house, and ghost.