After the second blow of the whistle, there was a huge gust of wind from the window and the candles both went out. The gust means something more. It induces darkness creating a sense of terror especially when the candles go out which creates the image of unwanted closeness. That someone is too close for comfort.
The author manifests Parkins’ fears and anxieties in his dreams, making it surreal and could happen in the future; ‘A black shape bobbing up and down looking eagerly back’ and ‘rapidly growing in larger, as a figure in pale, fluttering draperies, ill-defined.’ This is called atavistic which is primitive in human terms, an atavistic fear at night; something might get you at night.
M.R. James creates humour with the choice of phonetic language for the lower classes: ‘Ow, I seen it wive at me out of the window. The front winder it was, at the ’otel,’ said the boy.’ There are many clauses at the end to give more information; this also keeps the sentences to flow freely. Also when you’re terrified, the reader is only concerned on what they are reading at that moment. He is careful to use descriptive words where necessary. ‘Face of crumpled linen’. This is very brief but not a detailed description, probably like this because Parkins related this to someone else who is telling us the story, we are hearing it second hand. M.R. James has taught us a terrifying lesson about the dangers of intellectual pride-Parkins was so happy with his intellect that he didn’t seem to understand some things which made him feel scared.
Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance is about a man who has inherited a house from his late uncle and there is a mysterious maze in the garden of the house which has been locked for a long time.
Mr Humphreys never knew his relative so M.R. James constructs the sense of loneliness in him. He talks about ancient ruins in the story of Parkins but this is about ancient temples. Mr Humphreys has gained entrance to the maze that was covered by a wall and near the gate was a motto: ‘My secret is for me and for the sons of my house.’
In the maze, a noise is heard and he thinks it was Cooper but he says it isn’t the first odd thing. This is a fear of intrusion and that something might come back from the dead.
It is a convenient thing for M.R. James to make Humphreys pick out a quarto(part) from a book of sermons. This recounts to his own childhood when he had an interest in old books and picked out dusty volumes. This is a major story of conventional writing and it’s a warning about curiosity. Often in the middle of the maze, there are treasures, but something obstructs it like the Minotaur. This is a warning to Humphreys to not be avaricious-greedy and desire to have things(e.g. desiring gold). The strange globe at the centre of the maze has now changed with inscriptions of ‘prince of darkness’ and ‘shadow of death.’ Latin etchings can be quite frightening because of their connection with religion and the medieval world.
This is the idea of perception that M.R. James includes, telling us that we see the world differently and how Mr Cooper and Humphreys differentiate temperatures when they touch the globe.
The trees and their surroundings create a shadow by the reflected moonlight. There is a vague suggestion that the woods are seducing Mr Humphreys like the belief in the god Pan. The god Pan seduced people into the woods like Selene, the moon goddess. M.R. James describes the weather to represent the emotions of the characters and people’s feelings however in this case how Humphreys is feeling; a dark ominous sign and a symbol of danger. This is called ‘pathetic fallacy’. He describes a ‘small Irish yew, thin and black....’ The maze is using dark, featureless objects to defend itself, and it is getting closer to the house. “My secret is for me and the sons of house” (It seems that the maze is opening for Humphreys but not for the others like Lady Wardrop because he’s a relative of the uncle.)
Rationalising and interpreting the inexplicable in different ways, is a theme in M.R. James’ story. This is because science was still developing in the Edwardian period which certainly excited and attracted interest, but M.R James doesn’t usually use science to explain the story. This is unusual but effective because in science one must test things empirically to prove them, but ghosts are not considered to be proven because they do not fit into the scientific world.
The title of ‘The Ash Tree’ is effective in creating the image in the reader’s mind of something huge and daunting. People tend to fear the trees and forests when they are alone and perhaps M.R. James had this perception upon writing his story. The magnitude of the tree is described in the story where it is ‘almost touching the building with its branches’.
Castringham Hall is playing on popular fears, the author describes the harrowing occurrences which took place at the Hall in 1690; a number of witch trials were conducted at the Hall, and these accused were feared to have been possessed by demonic powers. The author’s ability to explain the inexplicable is evident in his description of Sir Matthew’s amazement at a ‘moving creature’ which had ‘more than four legs’. Delving into the unknown is the author’s way of keeping his readers apprehensive about what may happen next. There is an attempt by the characters to rationalise their experience, not making much ‘of the momentary vision’. Here the reader is able to sympathise to some degree at the naivety of the characters who brush off what will certainly affect them later.
The author, through the use of powerful and emotive imagery in his depiction of the death of Sir Matthew Fell, describes in quite disgusting detail the sight of his corpse. This corpse however is frighteningly unique in that those who come into contact with it are left to endure the pain of abnormal swellings. The funeral sermon of his death had been printed under the ‘Malicious dealings of AntiChrist’. This is very powerful as it means ESCHATOLOGICAL(APOCALYPTIC) which is coming to an end. This force of evil contrasts with biblical verses and antichrist.
Again the author delves into the unknown and employs this technique to keep his readership engaged and so that they can search for the answers to these abnormal and suspicious occurances: ‘two or three screams there were’, ‘his face struck with an incredulous terror and loathing before he cried out in a dreadful voice’, ‘remains of an enormous spider, veinous and seared as the fire burned lower down, more terrible bodies began to break out covered with greyish hair’.
The author’s vivid descriptions of a decomposed body, in fact ‘a skeleton with the skin dried upon the bones’ plays on our fear and distaste with the vulgar. The lady turns out to be that of Mrs Mothersole and the disgraceful scene is stomach turning for the weak hearted.
There’s been a great deal of superstition surrounding the number 13: Many horror films have been screened in which the superstitious number has played a central role. A vivid construction of fear is found in Anderson’s arrival at door Number 13. The fact that the door would not open continued with the sound of nasty movements from inside the room sets the scene.
The mention of the rumours surrounding the Bishop’s practise of secret and wicked arts is effective in introducing the dangers of anti-Christianity or anti religious forces since they deal with the unknown.
The ceasing of footsteps and sound of hissing breathing outside number 13 works on the fear and apprehension of the readers. The almost ghostly appearance of a bearded man and shadowy figure at number 13 where Anderson unfamiliar with what is lurking in his surrounding, and the flickering of a convenient red light, draws the reader into a tense atmosphere. This plays with the idea of perception in Number 13 on how Anderson feels as if the room has shrunk and become narrowed.
Anderson’s confusion about his locations creates the perception of a man touched by the ‘secret and wicked arts’ introduced at the beginning of the story.
Anderson has been placed in an unfamiliar setting where he finds himself delving
into the unknown; mysterious voices and scenes, together with disturbing Latin inscriptions speaking of spirits become a horror for him, and his fear is felt by the reader.
The use of very descriptive adjectives do much to emphasize and illustrate the setting that Anderson finds himself in the ‘quiet’ is described as ‘deadly’.
Anderson’s fears about number 13 come out when the door eventually opened, through which an arm emerged which clawed at Jensen’s shoulder.
Jensen’s ‘disgust a fright’ is a contrasted with the low laugh of whatever demonic powers reside within number 13.
The characters are desperate for a refuge from what is described as the ‘devil’s den’ which relates to anti-Christianity.
The discovery of the document in the conclusion is an attempt to explain the inexplicable. Quite naturally deeply disturbed by the events in the hotel, Anderson and Jensen believed to have found the answers within the phenomena. To there dismay however, they are unfamiliar with the language whether it is upside down or written in two different languages. There is a degree of tension therefore, the reader is left uncertain and without explanation concerning the events at the hotel.
M.R. James constructs a sense of fear and terror by using themes of loneliness and isolation. In his childhood, he liked to be alone, reading old books and he relates this to how he isolates Mr Humphreys and Parkins. Other themes are intrusion, revenge and justice, witchcraft, perception, the ‘Uncanny’, superstition and trying to explain the inexplicable.
