Gothic Elements and Family Disintegration in Doris Lessing`s The Fifth Child

Authors : Mevlude Zengin

Pages : 159-182

Doi:10.51540/ijof.1787256

View : 81 | Download : 158

Publication Date : 2025-12-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :First appeared in 1988, Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child is a short novelwhose main action takes place in the1960s and 1970s England. The novel portrays the disruption of the Lovatts’ previously happy and harmonious family life following the birth of their fifth child, Ben, whose abnormal and unsettling nature introduces a Gothic sense of otherness into the domestic sphere. Once seen as a perfect family, the Lovatts begin to disintegrate under the pressure of Ben’s ‘‘uncanny’’ and monstrous presence. What captures the reader’s attention in the novel is not only its subject matter but also Lessing’s modern adaptation of Gothic elements, which she employs to expose the problems of modern society. By employing the horror theme through both the monstrous foetus inside Harriet and the depiction of her son with his unfamiliar, frightening, and monstrous traits and behaviour, Lessing presents, in a modern setting, the horrors and violent situations surrounding the family. Through these Gothic elements, she reveals the deterioration of familial relationships, the destruction of domestic happiness and contentment, and ultimately the collapse of the family. The aim of this study is to identify the Gothic and horror elements in The Fifth Child to reveal how the novel reflects the theme of family disintegration, and the collapse of stability within a seemingly settled household, and the significance of unity and peace for the well-being of family members, particularly the children.
Keywords : Beşinci Çocuk, Gotik, aile parçalanması, aile saadetinin altüst olması

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL