Paper Example on Analysing Literary Devices in Ann Petry's Bones of Louella Brown

Literary analysis is an essential part of understanding a novel, short story, or any other form of a creative piece. It helps to connect and resonate with the author in many ways. Ann Petry, in her short story, “Bones of Louella Brown,” employs literary devices on numerous occasions. These literary elements are critically essential as they help in the organization of the plot, portraying the characters and the roles they play in the piece, enhancing vivid imagination of the setting on the readers’ minds as well as joining the specific sections together to illuminate on the primary themes of the text. Because literary elements are vital in the short story, a critical analysis of these devices in light of their significance helps in understanding the story in more than one dimension.

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Characters and characterization are one of the literary elements that Petry uses effectively in the story. The characters that she uses strategically rhyme with the roles that they play in emphasizing the ultimate theme of the story. An excellent example is how Petry manages to use duet characters and juxtaposing them side by side throughout the story. The juxtaposition of the characters is evident through Old Peabody and Young Whiffle, who together establish an undertaking firm (Ervin 130). The two serve as the main characters in the story who build the theme and plot of the story. The laundress and the countess are also juxtaposed characters playing active roles in the text. They are significant and strategically developed by the author as they help in communicating the themes of segregation, equality, and moral obligations. Additionally, they help in the development of the conflict despite their silent depiction. Other characters such as Reynolds, Mr. Ludastone, and the Governor are significant in the story as they help in comedy and wild humor. It is worth noting that Petry accords titles and names to the characters that reflect on the ultimate theme and the roles that they play in the text (Ervin 135).

The themes are vital in “Bones of Louella Brown” by Petry. The author examines numerous themes in the text, the most eminent being racism and racial discrimination, equality, the moral obligation of the living towards the dead, the role of the press in the community, among others. These themes are significant as they address the issues and most pressing topics both in the past and in contemporary society. Petry explores the theme of racial discrimination through the bones of the white and the black woman. She strategically twines this theme to that of the role of the press by portraying the Boston Record and other media as investigative and cautious in their work. It is as a result of their investigative nature that the author can coin humor in the story through Mr. Ludastone, who mysteriously happens to be an embalmer at only two years (Ervin 145). The themes are significant as they serve as the backbone of the story.

Petry presents “Bones of Louella Brown” in an exciting and consequential plot. She starts by introducing the readers to the main characters, the Whiffle and Peabody firm, and the observed burial rituals where the rich, aristocrats, and whites were buried at the Yew Tree Cemetery. She goes ahead to introduce readers to the confusion that led to Louella Brown’s body being buried amongst those of the “royal” class. The mistake, despite having occurred several years down the line, becomes the cause of the conflicts in the current time in the story. Petry takes readers through a series of events building gradually on the main conflicts and the dilemmas that the characters go through working out their ways from the mess. A critical examination of the plot reveals the significance of the exposition, the rising and falling actions, the climax and resolution within the narration. Each part of the plot in the narration builds on the main themes, and the characters and, as well as introducing minor ideas. For instance, the resolution of the narration, where the Governor agrees to include Louella’s name on the marble slab, somehow introduces the theme of moral obligations to the dead. The act effectively stops the haunting episodes that Old Peabody was encountering (Ervin 152). Thus, the plot of the narrative is significant in connecting the events in the story as well as influencing characters’ actions and characterization. The narrative revolves around different settings that are essential in magnifying the startling presentation of race, racial and class discrimination, gender reconstruction, as well as sexual identity, among others. The setting, together with the theme and characters helps the author achieve his objective in the story.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Ann Petry explores and applies numerous literary elements in the story, “Bones of Louella Brown”. These elements play a significant role in the narrative. They help readers familiarize themselves with the setting of the story, develop a mental picture of the characters and events, as well as follow the characters as the author develops them throughout the plot. Petry, in the text, addresses numerous themes, including that of class and racial discrimination, morality, and the role of the press in society. She employs various aesthetic elements, including confusion and dark comedy, which are significant in making the story enjoyable. Additionally, she effectively builds on the characters and characterization, making a perfect fit with the plot of the story.

Work Cited

Ervin, Hazel Arnett, and Hilary Holladay, eds. Ann Petry's short fiction: critical essays. No. 209. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.