The Falls

by Joyce Carol Oates

The Falls


At a glance:

Niagara Falls plays a major role in Joyce Carol Oates's aptly titled novel, The Falls. The grandeur and mystical attraction, along with the thunderous roar of the falls, permeate the action. The ever-present mist that is generated by the cascades of water seeps into the lives of the people who dwell in its presence. Not only do the falls serve as a backdrop for the human conflict that resembles the intensity of the unharnessed water, but their turbulence also defines the novel's style. Typical of Oates's work, the plot unfolds in torrents of action, which sometimes appear murky....

(The entire page is 1701 words.)

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