This is probably because the signalman hasn’t spoken to many people, and doesn’t know how to react to the narrator, in fear of what he may do to him. Also, the narrator, when he first met the signalman, he thought that he was a spirit, or a ghost;
“The monstrous thought came into my mind, as I perused the fixed eyes and the saturnine face, that this was a spirit, not a man.”
This adds mystery to the character, because the reader doesn’t know if the signalman is a man or a spirit, and creates a tense atmosphere. When the signalman hears the warnings from the spectres, this also creates a tense atmosphere, because the reader doesn’t know what is going to happen, and neither does the signalman or the narrator.
“And did the spectre seem to be there, where you looked out?”
“It WAS there.”
In saying this, the signalman makes even the reader believe that he did see it, and this adds more tension
Also, the fact that the signalman died, but at a stage when the signalman wasn’t expecting, and the fact that the spectre had foretold this, adds more tension because it makes the reader think about the spectres and the death of the signalman and leaves questions in your mind for example, how did the spectres know about the signal man's death.
Another way that Charles Dickens created tension, as well as the characters, was the setting which also created a tense atmosphere, for example the place that the signalman worked, was eerie and daunting, and supernatural:
“So very little sunlight had ever its way on to this spot, that it had an earthy, deadly smell; and so much cold wind rushed through it, that it struck chill to me, as if I had left the natural world.”
When this story had been written and read, things that were about the supernatural were unknown and if it the supernatural were brought up in a story, it would have added more tension then, then now, because we know more about things that are true and not.
. Also, some of the surrounding objects can create a tense atmosphere, for example the red light, when ever it was on, something bad was going to happen, and when it was off, you were waiting for it to come on, or expecting something:
“The danger-light was not yet lighted.”
and the bell, when it rang, it was usually a message telling the signalman of train, but when it didn’t ring, it was because of the spectres:
“He twice broke off with a fallen colour, turned his face towards the bell when it did NOT ring, opened the door of the hut, and looked out toward the red light near the mouth of the tunnel.”
this would create tension because it would make you think about how this is happening, how the spectres make the bell ring, but not ring, and how the red “danger” light and something bad are connected.
When the signalman died, it left a lot of unanswered questions, for example, how did the spectres know about the signalmans death, and why couldn’t the narrator see the spectres, and this also creates a lot of tension, because at this point, the reader will want to know more about the story, and the characters. The mystery is unexplained, and creates tension. Dickens does this to make the reader want more, and leaves the reader hanging in suspense, because the unknown excites the mind and they will want to read more of his work.
In conclusion, there are very many ways in which Charles Dickens created a tense atmosphere in The Signalman, like settings, objects used, characters, and making the reader think about the story, and having lots of questions that want to be answered, and leaving the story unsolved makes it even more tense.
