One of the main themes developed in the passage from the short story "The Moonstone", by Wilkie Collins, is the indelibility of memories and, therefore, of the past. The past constantly returns to haunt the present throughout the passage, creating tension and capturing the reader's attention. The author uses setting, storytelling style, characterization, and imagery to enhance the theme of the haunting past. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The passage suggests that the work is a fictional novel due to the prose form as well as its lack of factual reference. The beginning of the passage contains many descriptions and clearly introduces the theme of the haunting past into the short story. Rosanna's walk is described as "horrible" (line 2), "melancholy" (line 3), "loneliest" (line 4), "ugliest" (line 4): these adjectives clearly give an atmosphere of sadness. , thoughtful and isolated in the prose. The reader realizes through the facts that the setting is characterized by human feelings and that the description of the setting also applies to the character of Rosanna. Rosanna seems to want to disappear, which may be linked to the idea that she wants to forget the past. The repetition of the term "quicksand" in the description reinforces this idea, as quicksand forces objects and humans to sink and keeps them trapped underground, causing them to disappear. The concept of a haunting past is also represented in the description of the tide that “covers the sand in silence” (line 14). The tide can be seen as representing the present covering the past symbolized by the sand temporarily, but never completely, meaning that time dilutes the memories but never manages to eliminate them. It is also important to note the contradiction that exists in the description of the landscape in the opening lines of the prose; “Our house sits high on the Yorkshire coast” (line 1) and “the low cliffs of the loneliest, ugliest little bay” (lines 3-4) symbolize the contrast in mood, behavior and state of mind of the characters. This is emphasized by the use of the words high and low which are antonyms. The reader instantly associates up with positive connotations such as happiness and lightness and down with opposite connotations such as unhappiness and pressure. Additionally, the walk is associated with cliffs showing the instability and insecurity of the character Rosanna who chooses to follow this path. The narrative voice reinforces the theme of the haunting past. The narrative voice used by the author is that of the first person narrator through the eyes of Mr. Betteredge, which is effective in drawing the reader into the narrative in a short time. Mr. Betteredge describes in the passage an experience he had directly. The use of the past tense makes it clear that it is describing a memory and at the same time placing the reader in an unforgotten past. In a sense, one could say that the past lives on in the narrator's memory as long as he continues to remember what happened and those things still exist, are real. Indeed, the past, the memory occupies part of his mind and is part of his personality. Given the wealth of detail that the narrator uses to describe both the location and the action, we can assume that this is still very much fresh in his mind and that nothing has been erased by the passage of time. This also means that this event was an important stage in her life as was the case for Rosanna who recalls in the passage that “My past life still comes back to me sometimes” (line 41). In conclusion,The narrative voice is a literary mode used to introduce the world of the past while emphasizing the importance of memories and their continued presence. Characterization is also used to enhance the theme of the haunting past in the extract. Rosanna is characterized as a young girl as she is described wearing a "little straw bonnet" (line 25), lonely, which can be seen by the fact that she ventures into a place where no boats or children never goes. .M. Betteredge finds her "all alone" (line 26), and the fact that her best friend is now an anon, alienated from the world, something reinforced by her physical problems: she is described as having a "deformed shoulder" (line 26) and a lower social status which can be inferred from the fact that his handkerchief is made of “cheap cambric” (line 37). Rosanna is a servant, probably aged 13 to 14, as was typical in the Victorian era. The fact that she is young and from a low social status leads the audience to view her as innocent and fragile. Additionally, her position further highlights her loneliness and isolation, as servants were kept away from social events and led monotonous lives. Rosanna is said to "turn her head away" (line 28) from Mr. Betteredge, which shows that she wants to hide and conceal something she is afraid of, for example the past, as she is described "looking at the quicksand and the sea ". » (lines 27-28).Mr. Betteredge is depicted as a reminiscence of the past “When you're my age […]” (line 35). Older people are traditionally full of memories that they carry with them; they mainly look at the past because their future will be short and limited while their past is rich and full. This is opposed to the young Rosanna, arousing the interest and curiosity of the reader because it is unusual for such a young girl to be so tormented and so marked by the past, which would be completely normal for the old man. Mr. Betteredge. The reader wonders what happened. This shows that the author considers that the past is essential not only for the elderly, but also and especially for the young because they have more difficulty changing, adapting because the old, represented by Mr. Betteredge, are fully aware of their faults. : "I am a neglected old man, and much of my meat and drink is splashed on my clothes" (lines 45-46) and we are aware that you cannot go back and change the past, you must forget the past. and I impatiently wait "[...] your past life is all wiped away. Why can't you forget it? (line 44). Since Rosanna is unable to accept that the past cannot be resurrected or changed, she continues to cry over what it was. The imagery used in the passage further reinforces the theme of the haunting past. The first imagery in the passage is that of "melancholy fir plantations" (line 4): this is an unusual association because fir trees are usually found in forests rather than plantations. Fir trees are evergreen trees whose leaves look like simple flattened needles. They require very little maintenance and have great resistance qualities. The fir trees represent memories of the past because they are a source of pain for Rosanna and can no longer be changed. This imagery simulates Rosanna's emotions in the reader's mind, making her feel her short life, the melancholy she feels from the past as well as the pain she endures every time she reflects on her memories. The passage ends with the imagery of a spot from which the grease has been removed but a small dull spot has been left. “The stain is removed but the spot shows, Mr. Betteredge – the spot shows!” There.