Language
The language of the short story “Enoch” by Robert Bloch is informal, American English, which makes it easy to follow the plot. The choice of words reflects the horror genre of the text, including words related to feelings of fear, mur…
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Repetitions
Various repetitions are used throughout the text, emphasizing certain aspects or showing something about the characters. For example, the narrator repeats that he has to kill people for Enoch, a repetition that suggests he wants to relieve himself of the guilt: “He asks me to kill people, for…
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Rhetorical questions
As with repetitions, the writer often uses rhetorical questions in the text. They help suggest that the narrator is addressing the readers, or map the action of the plot (announcing what is going to happ…
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Similes
The author does not use elaborate similes in the text. Instead, he draws simple comparisons. For example, the narrator describes his arrest and jail time “like part of a dream” (p. 31, l. 24), a simile that suggests the narra…
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Symbols
The story also includes several symbolical elements.
Seth’s shack is a symbol of Seth’s shaky mind, of the fact that, like his house, his sanity is deteriorating.
The jail cell is a symbol of confinement—of mental confinement caused by insanity. …
