Emotion drives humanity forward. Whether manifesting in joyous laughter, or in depressed tears, humans thrive through personal thoughts and actions. Mirroring humanity, literature lives by the same law. While humanity thrives on emotion, literature lives on mood. One short story in particular, “Haunting Olivia,” by Karen Russell, describes the story of Timothy and Wallow Heartland, two brothers who attempt to find the ghost of their sister, Olivia. In order to artfully present the struggle of the brothers, Russell crafts a world of wonder. In the short story “Haunting Olivia,” Karen Russell, the author, utilizes her masterfully crafted imagery to influence the story’s dark, yet hopeful, mood. From the first page, Russell displays her world…show more content… “What if all the Olivia-ness has already seeped out of her and evaporated into the violet welter of clouds?” (8). Timothy compiles his complex emotions into a vivid, and detailed, metaphorical view of how Olivia might have disappeared. Adding a bit of humor as well, Timothy establishes his view of the situation. By allowing the reader into his mind, the mood shifts to a confused, puzzled look at what could have happened to his beloved sister.
After days of confusion, desperation, and exhaustion, the brothers finally discover the mythical masterpiece of Glowworm Grotto. Running up to it “like a condemned man,” (9) Timothy portrays his desperation wonderfully to the reader, building character and furthering the ongoing plot. Contrasting Timothy, Wallow desires the end of this chapter; his “inscrutable sadness on his face” (9) reveals how tired he truly is, moving the mood forward to a strange feeling of acceptance on the part of the reader, and the brothers. As the story reaches its climax, Russell’s mood reaches a similar
