How does Marganita Laski give an insight into Caroline’s mind by using flashbacks and

dialogues and how does this story emanate a haunting tone to draw the readers in? [25]

The 1955 short story, “The Tower” by English author Marghanita Laski explores identity and
relationship dynamics through the lives of newlyweds Caroline and Neville. Certain themes
explored in the short story are isolation, insecurity, fear and self-exploration. Laski employs the
use of a third person narrator, despite which she is able to present and highlight the fear and
hesitation felt by Caroline throughout the story. She also allows readers to read the story as
independent observers. Throughout the story, Laski explores Caroline’s journey and provides
readers with an insight into Caroline’s thought process, giving a vivid idea of her life. The
isolated, eerie location and backstories explored, not only at the Tower but also during the
flashbacks in Caroline’s mind create a spooky atmosphere drawing in readers and keeping them
hooked. This essay will explore how Marganita Laski gives an insight into Caroline’s mind by
using flashbacks and dialogues and how the story emanates a haunting tone to draw the readers
in.

Laski successfully uses a third person perspective to portray Caroline’s thoughts and feelings.
Laski subtly implies the power dynamics in Caroline and Neville’s relationship and how Neville
makes Caroline feel overshadowed and undermined. The phrase “and how gratifying if she
could, at last, have something of her own to contribute to his constantly accumulating hoard of
culture.” conveys how Caroline feels inadequate in comparison to Neville. The use of the word
“gratifying” conveys to the readers how affected Caroline was by that, since simply discovering
something new to reveal to Neville brings her so much joy and pride. The polysyndeton in the
phrase “Caroline knew that she wanted to take the fork to the left, to Florence and home and
Neville and — said an urgent voice inside her — for safety.” adds a dramatic tone to the story,
subtly foreshadowing the intense events that take place at the tower. It also highlights her
hesitation and reasoning, reflecting the mental presence of Neville even when she is alone,
emphasising his dominating nature. The use of flashback is very strategic and intentional, giving
Caroline the push to explore the tower after her internal debate and hesitation. The phrase “she
had let her eyes wander around the room glancing anywhere but at the particular portrait of
Neville's immediate dissertation.” implies how she is struggling to overcome Neville’s
dominance and find an identity of her own. The phrase “books up there under his hand.” acts as a
subtle parallel with Neville’s “constantly accumulating hoard of culture”, the word ‘hoard’
suggesting how he just mechanically collected all the knowledge. “Neville had said casually,
“Do you know, she’s rather like you?” This phrase marks the end of Caroline’s flashback,
carrying strong eerie tones. Neville’s comparison of Caroline to Giovanna acts as foreshadowing
due to the aforementioned dialogue “she was lost or she was damned.” The sudden narrative shift
after this dialogue signifies the end of Caroline’s mental debate.
Laski begins creating an eerie and haunting atmosphere from the exposition itself. The italic text
from the guide book Caroline refers to how “superstitious fear left the tower intact”. This creates
a sense of discomfort and nervousness in the readers, acting as subtle foreshadowing. The
mysterious superstitious happenings of the town build up the tension required for the haunting
tone “The Tower” emanates. The seemingly weird surroundings further emphasise and
foreshadow the haunting tone. “There was no other building in sight. In a land where every
available piece of ground is cultivated. There was no cultivated ground around this tower.” It
also highlights the superstitious beliefs of locals. Another element that builds up a creepy
atmosphere is Laski’s use of numbers, creating a mechanical and eerie feeling. It is a key strategy
through which she records the building tension as Caroline goes up and down the tower. As
Caroline’s emotions and willpower become more tangible, the parallel rise in numbers makes it
seem like her thoughts are being recorded. It creates a record of the development in her
emotions. The phrase “-four hundred and seventy!’ said Caroline aloud with explosive relief”
reflect her sense of achievement. Additionally, the setting of the tower shows Caroline’s mental
state through the employment of tactile imagery. “Then hesitantly she groped forwards, upwards,
and at last her fingers met the rusty rail again, and again she climbed.” Caroline’s sense of touch
is involved when she touches the railing to climb up the tower. “For an interminable second, she
shivered” This phrase creates tactile imagery and reflects Caroline’s mental state. “the sky
drained now of all its colour” The diction of this sentence creates a very negative tone,
accentuating the hauntingly dark atmosphere of the tower. The strange and sudden thought that
Caroline seemingly has once she reaches the top of the tower throws off the readers and intrigues
their curiosity while simultaneously creating a very eerie atmosphere. “All her being was
suddenly absorbed in the single impulse to hurl herself from the sloping platform.” The phrase
“said the voice in her brain” brings in a sense of the supernatural, mentioned in the exposition. It
allows the readers to wonder whether her apparent “vertigo” could have been caused by
supernatural elements. “spiralling round and round and round and disappearing into the dark.”
The use of tricolon emphasises her fear of the staircase. The shift of verbs in the phrase “She
said, she screamed, ‘I can't go down.’” highlights the shift in her emotions and mental state. The
sentences “Something brushed her face. She knew it was a bat not a hand that touched her but
still it was horror beyond conceivable horror and it was this horror without any sense of moving
from dread to safety that, at last, impelled her down the stairs.” emanates the ultimate haunting
tone in the story. It creates a spine-chilling and unnerving feeling in the readers.

Laski’s narrative style and use of subtle horror elements keeps readers on their toes throughout
the story, making them feel slightly uncomfortable. Her control over the writer's craft enables her
to shift the atmosphere to her liking, portraying Caroline’s thoughts and feelings in a way
pertaining to the plot of the story. The story ending with a cliffhanger elevates reader response,
giving readers food for thought to create several different possibilities of the story. That is how
Marganita Laski gives an insight into Caroline’s mind by using flashbacks and dialogues and
this story emanate a haunting tone to draw the readers in.