How does social class and status affect the story?

How do gender norms and expectations affect the story and Noemi?

How do social class and gender norms affect what kind of person Noemi is and how she behaves? 

How was race viewed during this time period?

Mexican Gothic takes place in 1950s Mexico and the main character is Noemi, a young socialite from a wealthy and well respected family. These aspects of her life affect Noemi’s character and her actions as well as the way the story is written. 

In the very beginning of the story, Noemi is introduced as someone who likes to socialise and go to parties and not long after, details about her family's social class are revealed. “Like the rest of the house, his office was decorated in a modern style , which seemed to echo the newness of the occupants' money. Noemi’s father had been poor, but he had turned a small chemical dye business into a fortune.” This sets the stage and introduces the social climate and high class people of 1950’s mexico. Social class and wealth comes up again when Noemi’s father suggests that Noemi’s cousin, Catalinas husband might have married her to gain access to her money.  He says, “I also know that if Virgil and Cataline were divorced, he’d have no money. It was pretty clear when they married that his family's funds have run dry. But as long as they are married, he has access to her bank account.” This suggests that during this time period it wasn’t very uncommon to marry for money and often new money was better than old money. 

The idea of marriage is also something that comes up quite a few times within the first 70 pages of Mexican Gothic. Noemi’s social class as well as the fact that she is a woman affect the things that are expected of her in life as well as in marriage. On page 12 it describes that Noemi’s mother believes that, “Girls were supposed to follow a simple life cycle, from debutante to wife.” This shows that a woman in the 1950s, especially of Noemi’s status and wealth would be expected to be educated, be proper, and then marry well. These aspects of culture and time period are important to the story because they introduce a sense of rebellion in Noemi. She often changes her mind about what she wants to do in life, she jumps from hobby to hobby, and from guy to guy, and most importantly, she is not yet married or on track to getting married. 

The last aspect of culture that is introduced in the first 70 pages of Mexican Gothic is views on race. When Noemi meets Howard Doyle, one of the first things he says to her is, “You are much darker than your cousin,” Noemi is disgusted and caught of guard by this and throughout the chapter he continues to talk about “intermingling of superior and inferior types,” Beauty attracts beauty and begets beauty,” and natural selection. His ideas about race show that even though Noemi is considerably high up in the social hierarchy because of her father's success and wealth, there are still those that would see her as inferior because of the color of her skin and would see themselves as superior to her simply because of genetics

-How does the author go about describing the setting and establishing the mood and atmosphere of the scenes? 

-Does the author do a good job at establishing the mood of the book? 

-How does the atmosphere affect writing style and word choices?

-Does repetition help to establish mood and atmosphere? 

-Does the author do a good job of making the reader understand how out of place Noemi is at High Place?

In pages 70-105 of Mexican Gothic. Readers continue to get to know High Place and what it's like there. The author uses a variety of different methods to develop the setting and to communicate the atmosphere and mood to the reader. She does this by using repetition and descriptive language. 

One of the ways the author sets up scenes and the atmosphere is by describing Noemi’s surroundings and the house in particular. The furniture in the house is described as “heavy furniture and heavy drapes” and the rooms are described as stuffy. Howard Doyles room is also described as having, “weighty, dark furniture, that abounded around the rest of the house, and thick velvet curtains that could conceal the thinnest ray of light.” These descriptions help to establish a heavy dark, heavy, and stuffy atmosphere. It also helps the reader to understand that Noemi is feeling those same kinds of feelings of heaviness, and feeling trapped in the house. The author does a good job of keeping this dreary feeling present throughout the scenes in the house. 

The author uses repetition of words to help the reader understand the atmosphere of High Place and understand what Noemi is feeling. One of these words is “heavy” which is used to describe “heavy drapes”, and “heavy furniture”. Another word that is repeated is “thick”.  The word is used to describe the “thick velvet curtains” in Howard Doyles room, Florence's disapproval, which is described as “thick as treacle” and the thick fog in the cemetery. This repetition puts an emphasis on the heavy and thick atmosphere at high places and how that is making Noemi feel.

The last thing the author did to establish the atmosphere of the High Place was to put emphasis on the contrast between Noemi and High place and its residents. Noemi is described as, “Her voice like fine glass, contrasting with the heavy furniture and heavy drapes and equally weighty faces turned toward her. She didn’t mean to be a nuisance but her carefree nature had little understanding of solemnity.” This passage describes while she is carefree and light, the house and the people in it are heavy and solemn.

All of these details that the author includes in the story help the reader to get a really good understanding and feeling about the atmosphere and mood in High Place. It helps us to understand how Noemi feels in the house as well as how different and out of place she is in it. The description of the house, however, is somewhat limited because we as the readers only see the house the way Noemi does and therefore can only understand things through the lense of her bias whether that be her social class or just her protectiveness over her cousin.   

-How does the author go about describing the setting and establishing the mood and atmosphere of the scenes? 

-Does the author do a good job at establishing the mood of the book? 

-How does the atmosphere affect writing style and word choices?

-Does repetition help to establish mood and atmosphere? 

-Does the author do a good job of making the reader understand how out of place Noemi is at High Place?

In pages 70-105 of Mexican Gothic. Readers continue to get to know High Place and what it's like there. The author uses a variety of different methods to develop the setting and to communicate the atmosphere and mood to the reader. She does this by using repetition and descriptive language. 

One of the ways the author sets up scenes and the atmosphere is by describing Noemi’s surroundings and the house in particular. The furniture in the house is described as “heavy furniture and heavy drapes” and the rooms are described as stuffy. Howard Doyles room is also described as having, “weighty, dark furniture, that abounded around the rest of the house, and thick velvet curtains that could conceal the thinnest ray of light.” These descriptions help to establish a heavy dark, heavy, and stuffy atmosphere. It also helps the reader to understand that Noemi is feeling those same kinds of feelings of heaviness, and feeling trapped in the house. The author does a good job of keeping this dreary feeling present throughout the scenes in the house. 

The author uses repetition of words to help the reader understand the atmosphere of High Place and understand what Noemi is feeling. One of these words is “heavy” which is used to describe “heavy drapes”, and “heavy furniture”. Another word that is repeated is “thick”.  The word is used to describe the “thick velvet curtains” in Howard Doyles room, Florence's disapproval, which is described as “thick as treacle” and the thick fog in the cemetery. This repetition puts an emphasis on the heavy and thick atmosphere at high places and how that is making Noemi feel.

The last thing the author did to establish the atmosphere of the High Place was to put emphasis on the contrast between Noemi and High place and its residents. Noemi is described as, “Her voice like fine glass, contrasting with the heavy furniture and heavy drapes and equally weighty faces turned toward her. She didn’t mean to be a nuisance but her carefree nature had little understanding of solemnity.” This passage describes while she is carefree and light, the house and the people in it are heavy and solemn.

All of these details that the author includes in the story help the reader to get a really good understanding and feeling about the atmosphere and mood in High Place. It helps us to understand how Noemi feels in the house as well as how different and out of place she is in it. The description of the house, however, is somewhat limited because we as the readers only see the house the way Noemi does and therefore can only understand things through the lense of her bias whether that be her social class or just her protectiveness over her cousin.   

From Noemi’s speech style, the reader can see that she has a lot of personality in her character. She can show her boldness and wits whenever she talks. Which is the opposite with the Doyle’s, they are very reserved and don’t show their personality when they talk. An example of this would be with Noemi talking with Francis in the cemetery. “She was joking. Anybody would have known it was a joke. Her tone of voice possessed the dramatic intonation that takes place when a woman is giving a grand performance. But he took it all wrong, no longer blushing but paling”(pg. 101). When she was joking around, she expected Francis to also take this as a joke as well. The rules in High Place are strict, so Francis doesn’t understand the difference between a person really joking or not. Besides Noemi speaking, the narrator also helps show her personality as well. The reader is able to hear Noemi’s thoughts, which shows more of her character than just her speech. She often thinks before she speaks, so the reader is able to see her thought process. Like when she was talking with Virgil in the greenhouse. “If Virgil couldn’t be persuaded to assist her, maybe the loathsome patriarch of the doyle family might rule in her favor. She might be able to drag Francis into her side of the court, she suspected that. Most of all she felt like leaving now would be betraying Catalina”(pg.93). This narration of her inner thoughts helps the reader see how Noemi is already thinking of ways to get back at the Doyle family. The reader can also see that she really cared about Catalina and doesn’t want to leave her alone. Noemi also shows how tough she is and how she wouldn't back down from a challenge. She first thought of getting her father involved since he would have more respect than her, but then thought “she wasn’t going to back down.” With Virgil, the reader can see how he uses his words slyly and to his advantage. “He had a way of parrying her words that was maddening. She finally understood why her father had been so irritated by Virgil's correspondence. She could imagine the letters he wrote, filled with sentences that feinted and amounted to an irritating nothing”(pg. 92). It’s obvious that Virgil is good with his words and knows how to use them against others. Noemi is also good at using her words, but she isn't as level headed as Virgil. During their conversation, Noemi said that she found it infuriating since his voice remained leveled. Francis also shows his level of education, though he does it through his interest in fungi. Francis never talked a lot when he first met Noemi, but eventually warmed up to her because of her friendly personality. When he talks about something he loves, he talks with gusto and goes in depth. Since he had to follow the rules of the house, he never really was able to share his interests with anyone. During his conversation with Noemi in the graveyard, he reeled back slightly since he wasn’t used to Noemi’s speech style and how she talks. “Noemi said, attempting a sort of lightness in the delivery, hoping he understood she hadn’t meant it, that they might laugh this silly quarrel away. He nodded slowly, but did not seem convinced”(pg.102).  Since they lived in completely different places, their understanding of speech is going to be different.

Throughout the book, Noemi is described as being stubborn, determined, and independent. On page 114, Florence is talking to Noemi about not getting ideas about the city in Francis’s head and Noemi says, “I’ll be sure to discuss with him the pre approved subjects you dictate. Perhaps we can erase all the cities on the terrestrial globe and pretend they don’t exist,” Noemi said, because although Florence was intimidating, she was not willing to hide in a corner, like a baby.” This quote is a good example of her stubborn and bold nature. However, later in the chapter when she is talking with Virgil about the incident with Caterina and the sleeping tincture, she seems a little bit different. After Virgil asks Noemi to leave Caterina's care to the doctor, he says, “Will you follow this simple directive?” She clenched her hands. “I will,” she said, and she felt very much like a child.” Noemi went from being unwilling to be treated and looked at as a child to feeling like one. This seems out of character but it could be part of Noemi’s character development. It shows how the house and the things going on around Noemi might be changing and breaking her spirit in a way. This scene could also hint at a social commentary that the author is trying to communicate about women having less of a say than men in the 1950’s and sometimes even now. 

There are also some changes in Francis’s character in recent chapters. Francis is described as quiet, frail, and neat with an “organized spirit”. Noemi describes him as, “bashful and a little odd.” Yet there are a few changes and new parts of his character are revealed. On page 135 and 136, it says, “there was a resigned quality to him that struck her as odd for someone his age,” Later he also says, “truth be told Ruth ought to have burnt High Place to the ground.” This comment is very out of character considering that Francis typically seems very loyal to his family and careful to follow his mothers rules. 

These changes can be seen as inconsistencies in the characters' tendencies but I think they are a way for the author to subtly and gradually develop the character and move the story along. -Serena  

Epiphanies:
My epiphany is that Virgil is trying to seduce Noemi to try and distract her from the curse of his family/ the strange things happening to her cousin and in the house. Noemi at first is very standoffish with Virgil but now he’s making his way into her dreams, and she’s constantly talking about how attractive she finds him. She never once stops her thinking to even consider her cousin. 

Noemi experiences countless dreams during her stay in High Place. Her 2 most recent dreams involved her getting out of bed and roaming the halls. Her first dream had the ghost of Ruth kill a man in bed and then kill herself. The walls of the house were made of flesh and were alive. Noemi also says later that she wanted to get as far away from the house for a smoke, she felt the coldness of the house and that it was looking at her. Her other dream was of a woman giving birth on the cemetery ground, her husband then holding a grey lump of flesh repeatedly saying “Death, overcome.” The little girl then suffocated the lady with a cloth, everyone focused on the lump. Francis said before that Ruth should have burnt High Place to the ground, he also wanted to leave the house as soon as possible since you won't be able to escape it. He doesn’t like being in High Place, but he feels like he’s trapped and can’t escape. “But there’s no denying our natures. I was meant to live and die in High Place. Let Francis be. He’s accepted his lot in his life. It’s easier that way”(pg. 115). Florence told Noemi that she once wanted to see the world and thought a young man was going to change her life, but she eventually went back to High Place. She probably thought that trying to leave High Place is futile and doesn’t want her son to do the same thing she once did. It’s obvious that Francis doesn’t want to stay in High Place anymore, but he can’t do much. As Noemi goes into town she gets the tincture Catalina requested, Merta saying that it would help her sleep better. Though, when Noemi gave it to her, she suddenly had a seizure. Francis told her that a similar thing happened before when she took the same tincture. Noemi tried justifying her actions by saying that Catalina told her to get it, but eventually felt guilty for accidentally trying to poison her. Since Catalina kept telling Noemi that there are ghosts in the walls and that they talk to her, she wanted the tincture so she wouldn't be able to see them. Catalina has the same dreams as Noemi, and she feels like she can’t leave High Place and is stuck. 

Francis was telling Noemi that Howard used to beat him as a kid, as well as that Ruth had the right idea in trying to kill him, even if it was futile. “Don’t trust Howard, don’t trust Florence, and don’t trust Virgil. Now you should go. I wish I didn’t have to send you off so quickly, but I should”(pg. 178). It’s alarming to hear from Francis that Noemi shouldn’t trust his own family, especially Florence. He also says that Howard is a monster, he also said before that he will never die even if he wanted him to. Noemi was thinking that Francis was never given affection in the household, and that he was tied to the house. This fact could also tie in to how he enjoys studying the plants and mushrooms that grow around High Place, he’s the only one who seems interested in it. “They used the fungus to heal their wounds and preserve their health, but it could be so much more. He’d seen it, the evidence was in the priest they blindly obeyed, and what he hadn’t witnessed he’d imagined. There was such possibilities!”(pg. 206). When Noemi was dreaming/hallucinating, Doyle knew that fungus was used for healing and could have been used for greater possibilities. Since Francis enjoys learning about fauna, he might know about the healing properties of fungi as well. Noemi had a dream that involved her taking a bath and Virgil coming into her room, as he was touching her, she heard a voice that told her to open her eyes. When she woke up, she was in Virgil’s room, only wearing a bathrobe. She slept-walked from her bathroom all the way to Virgil’s bedroom, when she came back the tub still had water in it. In her dream, Virgil suddenly came into the bathroom where she was taking a bath. She was angry at first, but when he kissed her, she suddenly felt safe and that this was something she wanted. She then saw an egg, a snake came out of it and started eating its own tail, similar to the symbol that was always seen around High Place. She then suddenly found herself in a coffin, she saw Ruth covered in blood and saying “Open your eyes”. Noemi is seen contemplating why she enjoyed having Virgil touch her, soon the feeling becoming sour and unwanting. She often avoided Virgil after having the dream, seeing him reminded her of him in the dream. This wasn’t the first time where her dream correlated with reality. Noemi saw mold moving on the wall of her room, but it was just her imagination. Virgil and Florence enter her room since they heard screaming, Noemi doesn’t recall yelling, she didn’t remember yelling very loudly when she burned herself with a cigarette. She experiences the same thing when she is in front of Howard. He was naked and had black boils on his leg, he looked grotesque and Noemi wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. During her hallucination, she experiences headaches, but she just fainted and imagined the whole scenario. 

Questions: 

What could the snake possibly represent? 

How does the author use symbolism? 

What does the comparison to the snake in the garden of eden achieve in this passage? 

On page 162 of Mexican Gothic, there is a description of a painted screen in Virgil's room that Noemi compares to a scene from the Garden of Eden. The passage says, “She noticed that among the flowers and the ferns, there lay a snake. It was cleverly hidden, the eye peeking from behind a clump of roses. It lay in wait, like the snake in the garden of Eden.” This passage could possibly hint at the meaning of the family symbol, the nature of the family, and even the nature of Noemi’s strange relationship with and attraction to Virgil. 

The passage says that the snake lay among flowers and ferns and the eye was peeking from behind a clump of roses. This could be a depiction of the family's secrets. Just like how the snake is hidden behind roses, the family's secrets might be hidden behind the facade of the grand house and all the silver inside it. 

The next part of the passage is also very interesting because it could be foreshadowing events later in the story. It says, “It lay in wait, like the snake in the garden of Eden.” In the Bible, the snake is the devil and he wants to tempt Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. If this description holds true to the snake in the family symbol, then it could be hinting at a possible evil within the family that is lying in wait for Noemi. The snake tempting Adam and Eve might also reflect Noemi’s strange attraction to Virgil and how he seems to almost tempt her at times into eating of the forbidden fruit which in this case would be betraying Catalina by being involved with her husband.  

Noemi is in a place where she is trying to figure out the hidden secrets of the family and is starting to uncover things she hadn’t noticed before. She is also in a place where she is trying to understand the desire and temptation that she feels towards Virgil. The author uses this symbolism at this point of the story in order to reflect the hidden meanings behind what Noemi is going through and to give the reader a peek into future events.   

“She imagined it must not be easy to live day after day in that creaky, musty house, walking on tiptoes so as not to upset the old man. What resentments could sprout in a young heart when all affection and love had been denied? Because she could not imagine anyone ever loving Francis. Not his uncle, nor his mother. Had Virgil and Francis been friends? Did they ever look at eachother, wearily, and confess their dissatisfactions? But Virgil, though perhaps also nursing his own grievances, had gone out into the world. Francis, he was tied to this house.”

Thoughts: 

I wonder why the author chose to include this and to compare Francis and Virgil so often throughout the book? Why does Noemi so often compare them? I wonder why even though Virgil and Francis were brought up in the same environment and must have had many similar experiences with the house and the family, they ended up so different from each other. 

Epiphanies: 

This made me understand the depth of differences between Virgil and Francis. They are foil characters of each other because they were brought up under the same conditions and have been denied love and affection but ended up dealing with things differently. Francis threw himself into hobbies like plants and painting and although he has resentment for the family, he still follows his mothers rules. Virgil on the other hand had a bit more freedom then Francis to go out and see the world. Despite this he seems to embrace the family more and even the power he has in it. The author's frequent comparisons of Francis and Virgil bring up a recurring theme of what it really is to be manly and to be strong. I think Throughout the book, Noemi is also questioning this. 

For discussion: 

How are Virgil and Francis Different? 

How are they similar? 

Why are they so different?

How does the way we are raised affect who we become?     

Thoughts
The snake that Noemi always sees around High Place ended up showing in her dreams, the snake might represent Howard or the Doyle family in general. When it attached itself onto Noemi, the words “digging into her flesh” was used. This could show how she is now part of the family and can’t escape anymore. “Devour her whole” could also represent that idea, fully consuming her so she can’t leave. The presence of the woman is still with her, telling her to “open your eyes”, so she could see the reality of High Place and escape from it.  Since the woman kept telling her to open her eyes throughout all her dreams, Noemi finally decided to take it to heart and listen.

Questions
- Why does the ghost keep telling Noemi to “open your eyes”?
- Why did the snake wrap itself around Noemi?
- Does the snake represent something?

Epiphanies
High Place is filled with the memories of the people who died there, Ruth’s memories being the one that stands out. While Noemi is “dreaming”, Ruth’s memories invade her dreams, telling Noemi to “open your eyes”. Ruth wants her to see the dark secret of High Place and break free from the embrace of it. Since Ruth wanted to rebel against her family but died during the process, she wants to let other unfortunate victims open their eyes to not get tricked into getting trapped in the house.  Maybe Ruth wants to get vengeance against Howard, so she is trying to tell Noemi to kill Howard and end the cycle. During Noemi’s “dream”, a snake wraps itself around her neck, “You’re ours, like it or not. You’re ours and you’re us.” This could tie in with the snake, it doesn’t let go of Noemi’s neck and she can’t escape from it. When it was going to devour her, it could represent how she is now part of the family and can’t leave anymore. The snake represents the Doyle family, specifically Howard. The snake is often depicted as eating its own tail; it could show how Howard wants to keep the bloodline pure and tries to marry people in the family. It could also represent how The Doyle family is very secluded and only mingles within themselves. 

“You are right to think that I was grown like an orchid. Carefully manicured, carefully reared. I am, yes, like an orchid. Accustomed to a certain climate, a certain amount of light and heat. I’ve been fashioned for a single end. A fish can't breathe out of water. I belong with the family.” 

Thoughts: 

I thought it was interesting how Francis is being compared with a plant. Plants and nature keep being mentioned to represent different things. I think in this case, plants, specifically the orchid, is being used to represent the way Francis was groomed, trained, and raised to do what his family wanted him to do. The passage also shows his hopelessness and how he himself feels like he won’t be able to function anywhere but Highplace. He has been made to feel like this by his mother who has told Noemi not to put any ideas in Francis’s head about the outside world because it will just cause him pain. I think this was caused by her experience with finding her husband. She was hurt by that experience and now wants to keep Francis from it. This is a good example of how parents often let their past hurts influence how they raise their children.

Questions: 

How does this passage help the reader understand Francis more? 

Why does Francis feel like he won’t be able to live apart from Highplace and his family even though he has said things like, Ruth should have burned this place to the ground. 

Does Francis care for his family or does he just feel trapped?

Why is there so much repetition and symbolism with plants and nature? 

I find it fitting that in the end, the house ended up burning down. Before Francis told Noemi that Ruth should have burnt the whole place down. She knew about Agnes’s corpse and how it’s intertwined with the gloom. Noemi was also talking with Ruth during her “dream”, they were both at the cemetery looking at Agnes’s statue. this could have signifies how she knew Agnes was the gloom. 

Questions
- Why did Ruth want to burn High Place?
- How did the entire house burn down even though the fire started in a crypt?
- Why didn’t Francis go crazy when all the gloom got burnt?

Epiphanies

Since Ruth knew that Agnes was the main source of the gloom, she wanted to burn the house so she could finally escape from the control. Ruth could have sneaked into the crypt and burn the gloom, but she decided to attack Howard first. I wonder if she did this since the control over her would have loosened, or she didn’t know that she could have burnt the gloom. Even though Noemì started the fire in the crypt, it started spreading all over the house. The whole house is filled with the gloom, so the fire was able to spread from the crypt all the way to the main house. Everything in the house in probably very flammable, since it’s old and there were no people capable to putting it out. Florence and Virgil were dead, Dr. Cummins was passed out, Howard was near death and incapable of moving, and these events weren’t moving. I thought the servents would have “woke up”, but they were still standing near the staircase while the whole house was burning. Their minds have been carved out, so Howard being attacked must have really affected them. While the gloom was being destroyed, Francis also felt the pain of it. I would have thought he would die once the gloom was gone, but he ended up being asleep for 2 days. Since Francis is related to Howard, he has a stronger mentally compared to the servents. Even when Florence died or Howard was terribly injured, he was still conscious. Unlike the servents who went into shock because of it.