Question #N814

The author of the excerpt uses a series of examples to demonstrate the point that the narrator's actions are a result of his inner turmoil. In the first example, the narrator, having just gotten lost in a confusing forest, "looked about him with a troubled brow, his face clouded with anxious thought." In the second example, the narrator stumbles upon an old stone house and is filled with an "unaccountable dread." Finally, the author concludes that the narrator's "unease was not the outcome of any external danger, but rather, the product of a mind burdened by its own dark thoughts."

Which choice best describes the author’s purpose in providing the examples of the narrator’s actions in this excerpt?
A. To highlight the narrator’s struggles with physical challenges.
B. To illustrate that the narrator is trying to escape his problems.
C. To emphasize the narrator’s mental state.
D. To expose the narrator’s inability to solve problems.