The two stories I have chosen are ‘The Signalman’, written by Charles Dickens and ‘The Red Room’, written by H. G. Wells. The reasons for my choice are simple. I chose a story with a very suggestive, implicit supernatural aspect [‘The Red Room’] and another with a more explicit ghost theme [‘The Signalman’]. This, I thought, would make for an interesting comparison between the two.
Are they straightforward ghost stories? No, I don’t think so. ‘The Signalman’ does have ghost in it but the twist at the end fills us with some doubt to whether the signalman was having several premonitions, he was going mad, or if he was actually seeing a ghost. In ‘The Red Room’, there we are presented with a question, “Is there a ghost?” There is little more than a suggestion of a supernatural occurrence. It is more in the imagination of the ‘hero’.
The setting is described as an old house on the first page. Nevertheless, later on in the story it is called Lorraine Castle. Perhaps this is so because when it was constructed originally, it was larger than it is now: parts of the house could have been knocked down. There are subterranean passages running through the castle that are described as ‘…long and draughty.’ This would suggest an old medieval castle or fortress. The ornaments, in the room where the custodians communed, ‘…were ghostly.’ This gives us a precursor into what the theme of the story might be. ‘Everything in the castle is said to be ‘in its place; [it could have been] deserted yesterday instead of eighteen months ago.’ This means that no one had been in that area to disturb any of the little knick-knacks or unsettle the dust. No one had used any of the candles, as they were untouched in their sconces. This would not have been if someone wanted to see his or her way. This suggests that nobody wants or has any reason to go to that part of the castle. Why, we do not know. The actual Red Room is depicted as a ‘…large, sombre room’, with shadowy window bays and numerous recesses and alcoves. I think that the author chose to give it the colour red, as it is the colour of blood. This gives the story a more ghastly or supernatural element to it. The atmosphere wouldn’t be the same if it was a pastel blue room or a warm orange hue. The “red” makes it sound as if the room is bleeding – giving us an insight of the room’s past. In conclusion, this setting seems not to keep in line with the general short story’s modern setting, but seems very much like an earlier Gothic story. I think this works well with this kind of genre. Wells has used a different style to make him stand out from the others.
The setting in ‘The Signalman’ does follow that of the short story rules. It is set in a railway cutting at the entrance of a tunnel. At the time the story was written, railways had only been around for about 10-15 years, so it was a very new idea. The cutting itself is described in great detail. ‘On either side, a dripping wet wall of jagged stone, excluding all but a strip of sky.’ This, explicitly, gives the idea of a very desolate, depressing area. It is expressed by the ‘hero’ that, when he went down into the cutting, he ‘…had left the natural world’: therefore entering a supernatural world. This little quote prepares us for the prose to come. The signal box is not described in great detail, however it tells us what it contains: a bell and a book where, on several occasions, he makes notes. However we get the idea that it is very simple and plain. Although Charles Dickens’ setting is following that of most short stories, it is well planned and, I think, a very good idea.
The characters in ‘The Red Room’ are very varied. For a start there are more than probably you would expect in a short story. At the start, we have three: An old man with a shrivelled arm; an aged woman who unnerves our ‘hero’; and the ‘hero’ himself. The central character is apparently very brave and doesn’t believe that the room is haunted, ‘…it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me’. He seems to be quite a modern man with his way of thinking, and he does say that he is approaching the experience with ‘…an open mind’. Later, another character is introduced. ‘…the door creaked on its hinges and a second man entered’. This third old man is even more shrivelled than the first. He is wearing a shade and from brief glances, appears to have inflamed red eyes. He is the one who pulls everything together at the end. The purpose of the old people is to suggest that they belong to an older state of society and a more primitive state of mind. This prepares us for the way the modern ‘hero’, with his ‘…matter of fact way of thinking’, gives way to his primitive fears. After the main character leaves the room, he feels more uncomfortable about the Red Room, because of what the three have said. They say things in threes and do not want to show him to the room. I feel that Wells describes the characters just enough so that we can fully understand the story. He doesn’t produce any histories and does what he has to do to make it a good piece of prose, which makes it enjoyable to read.
In contrast, Dickens includes only two people for the main bulk of the story. There is the retired man on a walking holiday [the ‘hero’], and the signalman. This means that he can go into more detail and familiarize us with the characters. The two characters talk much more with each other than in the Red Room. There was more narrative in the first story. The writer does not tell us much about the main character; nevertheless, with the things he says, he seems a level-headed type of person. The signalman is the person that is seeing the “ghost”. We are not entirely sure if there is a ghost. The narrator, or ‘hero’, tries to convince the signalman that it is probably a trick of the mind or something, ‘…this figure must be a deception of his sense of sight’. This suggests that the retired tourist is more into thinking scientifically and working out rational explanations. During the denouement, other characters are introduced but to a very small extent. Although one plays a serious part as he is acting in exactly the same way as the ghost was depicted by the signalman. This fills us with an element of doubt about the whole supernatural aspect. Dickens has opted for a more conservative approach to the characters; even so, he does it well.
The twist in the Red room is not so obvious but is very well thought out. There is no ghost yet the ‘hero’ still says the room is haunted. It is fear that haunts the occupant of the room, not any spectres. This we do not expect. The different stages in the narrators struggle are also interesting. Firstly he ‘…stumbled and fell’ over furniture as he was lighting the candles. Then he makes a dash for the door and ends up staggering between furniture, getting struck until he passes out. This gives the reader an idea of the narrator’s “blind fear” in the room. Although it is different to any other ghost story it works very well because it is easy to understand. It is only his imagination that is making him feel like there is a ghost. Although this is a strange approach to the denouement, I feel it works well.
By comparison, the twist in ‘The Signalman’ comes quite surprisingly, ‘With an irresistible sense that something was wrong’. We do not expect the signalman to die quite the way he does. The retired man comes to the railway bridge and, to his surprise, sees what he thinks is the ghost. When he gets down to track level, we can see that it is the engine driver of a train that has accidentally ran the man down. It was strange that the signalman did hear neither the train nor the engine driver. This denouement is predictable in the sense that the ghost had warned him twice before about accidents where someone died. This contrasts with the Red Room because whereas in this story the twist comes at a predictable time and we could have guessed the ending, the ‘hero’ and his explanation of the haunted room are very unforeseen.
In conclusion, both are very well written short stories, and first-rate ghost stories. Both have their similarities, and their differences. The result of this is two very different stories; nevertheless, you can link aspects between the two. However, I do have a preferred narrative. My choice of the two is ‘The Red Room’, written by H. G. Wells. I like this one more because I think it is more enthralling. I was able to get into the story more while I was reading this one, rather than ‘The Signalman’. I felt that I could share the thoughts and experiences with the characters. I am keen on the plot line. I love the way the room is described: although no great deal of details has been given, enough has been described so we can picture the room in our mind’s eye. Our imagination is left to fill in the blanks. I think that Wells has done a great job with this story, and I suspect that a significantly amount of thought has gone into it.
