One full paragraph from an essay titled: 'Explore the ways in which Waters presents characters who are haunted in The Little Stranger'. It is an indepth exploration of the haunting of Roderick Ayres, with language analysis and relevant historical context. This paragraph was marked and is at A* leve...
Waters presents Roderick as a character who is deeply affected by PTSD, caused by the war;
the poltergeist exploits this trauma through haunting Roderick in a way that triggers his
PTSD. When Roderick wakes up to an inferno blazing through his room, he is reduced to a
childlike state, and has to be rescued by Caroline and Mrs Ayres. When describing the scene,
Caroline says it was, ‘like some small scene from hell’. The use of sibilance creates an eerie,
tense atmosphere. The word ‘hell’ has harrowing connotations, and hints at a possible
supernatural force at play. She goes on to say it was, ‘…thick with whirling embers and
tongues of fire that seemed to dart viciously at her face and hands.’ Here, use of
personification gives the fire a seemingly conscious malintent. This physical haunting of
Roderick serves as a manifestation of his inner torment. This is evident from his reaction to
the fire: Waters states that, ‘the sight of the flames and the choking smoke seemed to
paralyse him.’ Paralysis is a symptom of PTSD. This is not the first time that Roderick
showcases symptoms; a notable occasion is after he is attacked by his shaving-glass.
Roderick recalls to Faraday that, ‘he had to watch every object, every corner and shadow in
the room, had to keep his gaze moving restlessly from one surface to another.’ Here,
Roderick displays extreme paranoia and hyper-vigilance. Another reason for his visceral
reaction to the fire is that Roderick is mentally haunted with survivor’s guilt- his navigator
died in a crash they had. Waters makes it clear that Roderick has never forgiven himself for
it. Caroline mentions to Faraday that, ‘Rod used to say that It ought to have been the other
way around: that the boy had more to live for than he did.’ Waters evokes deep sympathy
from the reader for the crippling guilt Roderick is plagued by. The poltergeist is used to
explore the damaging attitudes to grief and trauma in this period; although mental disorders
were often brushed over during the war, over 40% of medical discharges were for
psychiatric conditions. Roderick was one of many who continued to suffer after the war
ended. By presenting Roderick as a victim of PTSD, Waters draws attention to the lack of
infrastructure in the medical world concerning mental health in the 1940s. Waters explores
this poor attitude to mental health further in the novel, as Roderick’s mental state is used as
a weapon against him in favour of more logical explanations to the strange events that
occur.
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