Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea is pervaded by a sense of isolation, decay, and desolation. The gloomy atmosphere in the novel never ebbs, as its presence is a constant reminder of the adversity that each character has faced and the famine that is devastating Ireland. Portrayed through the settings in the novel and the individual characters, these Gothic elements work together to aid in the novel’s function as a postmodern piece of literature which demonstrates the Irish Famine experience.