Answered

01:31:37
Read the excerpt from "The Lady Maid's Bell."
But that wasn't the only queer thing in the house. The very next day I found out that Mrs. Brympton had no
nurse; and then I asked Agnes about the woman I had seen in the
passage the afternoon before. Agnes said she
had
seen no one, and I saw that she thought I was dreaming. To be sure, it
was dusk when we went down the
passage,
and she had excused herself for not bringing a light
; but I had seen the woman plain enough to know
her
again if we should meet. I decided that she must have been a friend
of the cook's, or of one of the other
women
servants: perhaps she had come down from town
for a night's visit, and the servants wanted it kept
secret. Some ladies are very stiff about having their servants
' friends in the house overnight. At any rate, I made
up my mind to ask no more questions.
Which statement describes a gothic element in this excerpt that reflects a social attitude of Wharton's time?
O The narrator feels inadequate when she reports seeing a supernatural being and nobody believes her.
O The narrator feels like she lacks control of
her own fate when her superiors refuse to answer her questions.
O The narrator is dismissed by her superiors
when she asks questions about an occurrence that may have been
supernatural.
O The narrator fears that she may be doomed when she witnesses a strange woman walking around the home.



Answer :

GinnyAnswer
In the excerpt from "The Lady Maid's Bell," a gothic element reflecting a social attitude of Wharton's time is:

- The narrator feels dismissed by her superiors when she asks questions about an occurrence that may have been supernatural.

This reflects a gothic element by showcasing the idea of disbelief or dismissal when encountering something out of the ordinary. During the gothic literary period, there was often a theme of skepticism or denial when characters witnessed supernatural events or tried to discuss them with others.

In this particular excerpt, the narrator sees a mysterious woman in the house but is met with skepticism when she tries to inquire about her. This response reflects the social attitude of the time towards the supernatural or unusual occurrences, where such topics were often dismissed or explained away rather than acknowledged or investigated further. This element contributes to the eerie and mysterious atmosphere typical of gothic literature.

Other Questions