Project1
Project1
Nalo Hopkinson resists oversimplification into simplistic genre categories in "Ally" by
thought-provoking and unsettling narrative. While "Ally" can be subsumed under the
broad category of horror, Hopkinson subverts horror conventions in her narrative by
producing levels of thick symbolism and social critique. Rather than relying on shock or
horror, "Ally" uses atmospheric tension and suggestive imagery to probe themes of
subverts readers' expectations but also invites them to consider the unstated social and
One of the methods through which Hopkinson accomplishes this is by her masterful use
of setting and atmosphere. The supernatural occurrences in the story are not plopped
down against a dark, foreboding background; instead, the setting itself serves to
heighten the sense of the reader's disorientation and unease. Hopkinson writes, for
example, "shadows that whispered secrets in the darkness" (Hopkinson 47), a sentence
which invokes the metaphorical as well as literal weight of the past. This doubleness is
central to the impact of the narrative: the threatening atmosphere is a representation of
the characters' internal conflict, suggesting that the horror they undergo is as much a
creation of their internal spaces as it is of external space. Imagery in "Ally" also supports
world in which the lines between the actual and the dream are blurred. The recurring
imagery of collapse and renewal—such as the symbolic "rotting petals opening up to
new flowers" (Hopkinson 52)—is a good metaphor for transformation. It resists the
conventional horror trope of repeatedly associating breakdown with disaster and death.
Rather, Hopkinson suggests that also intertwined in the breakdown is the promise of
new life, a subtle but firmly courageous acknowledgment of survival in the face of
remarkable. The disjunct, dreamlike structure of "Ally" mirrors the fragmentation of
memory and identity and forces readers to make meaning in between the spaces.
This approach undermines the linear progression of genre fiction and positions the
reader as an active participant in the text. In this way, Hopkinson not only deconstructs
the boundaries between genres, but also authorial intent and reader interpretation. The
works to solidify the redressing of genre. Rather than presenting heroes and villains as
binary figures, Hopkinson populates her world with characters who are themselves quite
a truer, though unconventional, self—is symbolic of the larger critique of identity that
society that insists on strict norms and prejudices. Overall, "Ally" is an excellent
example of the way in which a work may be placed within the genre~ of horror but
subvert and break Its well-established boundaries. Hopkinson's skillful use of setting,
otherwise simple horror story rich in exploration of purpose and identity as well as
development. She not only gives us a chilling story but one that also challenges closer
For student scholars not afraid to challenge genre conventions, "Ally" is an invitation to
look beyond horror as a horror spectacle and more as a rich, multifaceted exploration of
human nature.