Helen tells us in great detail about the night Julia died next-door to Dr Roylott’s room. Julia earlier that night heard a peculiar ‘low whistle’ and a loud sound of metal being struck. These strange noises give a sense of unease to the reader. The two sisters would lock themselves in their room, which tells us they don’t feel safe on their own, ‘we had no feeling of security unless our doors were locked’. Julia is alone and isolated from her sister and the strange sound creates tremendous stress within the reader because the reader is scared for her. A cheetah and a baboon are loose in the garden.
Helen is engaged; when Julia was just about to get married she was killed. The reader already knows that if they got married Dr Roylott would lose a lot of money. These two factors are put together and now the reader fears for Helen’s life.
Mr Holmes inspects the room that Julia died in. He notices that the house is being repaired even though it doesn’t seem to need repair. Helen told Holmes ‘I believe that it was an excuse to move me from my room’, now that she is in the room in which her sister died in, she is now very vulnerable. The fact that the house has scaffolding gives the reader the impression that a person may have entered the house from the outside, this misleads the reader slightly from what really happened. The room door had been locked and shutters with iron bars blocked the windows. The room had very unusual features such as ‘dummy bell ropes and ventilators that did not ventilate’. The ventilator goes into Dr Roylott’s room, we are now wary of Dr Roylott that he used these features to kill Julia.
In Dr Roylott’s room was a ‘saucer of milk’, which is quite strange since if it were for a cheetah it would have drank it in one lick. Also a ‘lash that was tied in a loop of whipcord’ was found in Dr Roylott’s room, this produces an image that he may have strangled Julia because it was designed to get tighter when pulled and could have been placed through the ventilator to strangle her. The whole situation holds the reader in suspense and there is a sense of unpredictability as to what is going to happen.
Mr Holmes is capable of noticing small points and then reaching a conclusion, he demonstrated his ability as a detective at the beginning of the story when he knew how Miss Stoner got to his house by glancing at her ticket and coat. He notices these small points and puts them together, after that incident the reader is able to rely on Mr Holmes for answers. After he examined both of the rooms he advised Helen to listen to what he said because her life may depend upon it. Holmes had certainly spotted something very significant but he does not tell us which adds to the anxious and tense atmosphere. Mr Holmes and Watson discuss the situation, Mr Holmes clearly informs Watson that the bed being clamped to the floor, the ventilator and dummy bell rope played a link of the death of Helen.
The scene is dark that gives a chilling scene. Mr Holmes and Watson encounter a ‘distorted child’ whilst walking on the grounds it was described as having ‘writhing limbs’. This is a grim picture that adds to the dark and chilling atmosphere. The child is described as ‘running swiftly across the lawn into darkness’, which makes everything seem mysterious and strange. We later find out it was the baboon.
When Holmes is in Helen’s room they agree to ‘sit without light’, since there is no light unexpected things happen such as the noises they hear. The reader is now fearful for Holmes and Watson because they can’t clearly see what’s happening. Holmes tells Watson to have the pistol ready which gives the impression that they are waiting for something terrible to happen which creates a huge amount of anxiety and apprehension. Holmes for the first time in the story is nervous; this makes the reader think that a big event is about to take place. The cheetah is at liberty that increases the sense of insecurity. We as readers are unsure of what is going to happen and so is Watson, they waited ‘silently for whatever might befall’. They sit in the room waiting for what is going to happen for hours. ‘Holmes sprang from the bed and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell pull’; the reader and also Holmes are very anxious and edgy. Mr Holmes shouted to ask Watson if he could ‘see it?’ but he couldn’t, this creates tension and the fact that Watson can’t ‘see it’ he is at a higher risk of being harmed so therefore the reader worries for Watson. Then the low whistle occurred followed by a ‘horrible cry’ which swelled up louder and louder’, Watson and the reader are disorientated about what could of that scream have meant. The doctor was being choked but we don’t understand what is going on. Watson and Holmes feel insecure, ‘take your pistol and we will enter Dr Roylott’s room’. Holmes and Watson find a swamp adder wrapped around Dr Roylott’s neck. The reader now understands that the ‘speckled band’ was the patterns on the snake, the suspense and the tense feeling gradually fades away from the reader.
At the end of the story an unpredictable twist happens, that of the ‘speckled band’. The author used a very successful red herring; the reader now knows the red herring was the gypsies, because the reader when told of the ‘speckled band’ in the beginning assumes that it was the gypsies. As the story progresses there are more and more possibilities of the cause of Julia’s death, the gypsies being one of many. Holmes solved that the ‘saucer of milk’ was there to lure the snake, the reader couldn’t link these clues together and therefore tension is built up very well. The baboon and cheetah acted as a slight red herring since they made them feel insecure and increased the tension in situations even though they were not involved. The author is successful in keeping suspense and tension all through out the story keeping the reader intrigued and interested.
The Body Snatcher
A gruesome story about Fettes and Macfarlane dissecting dead bodies at a medical university. Fettes is troubled when he realises the bodies have been murdered, he tells Macfarlane about what he thinks but Macfarlane pays no attention. Fettes is pushed to follow his career and neglects his conscience. Gray is introduced in to the story and seems to have control over Macfarlane; Gray embarrasses him and makes him pay for the bill. Later that night a new body is brought to them and it appears to be Grey. Fettes is suspicious that Macfarlane had killed him and is not sure what to do. Again he doesn’t act and follows his career. Fettes and Macfarlane dig up a dead body in the graveyard. On their way back they realise the body had changed to someone else’s. They then checked the body’s face and it some how was the body of Gray.
In the opening paragraph the reader is introduced to Fettes and ‘the undertaker, the landlord’. We are told that Fettes is a ‘drunken Scotchman and a man of education’, he drinks five glasses of rum a night. This makes the reader wonder why Fettes drinks so much. We have the impression that he may be depressed. The reader isn’t told much information Fettes and why he drinks to excess that creates suspense. We are later told that Fettes has ‘medical knowledge’, may therefore have been a doctor, but what had happened to make him in the state he is now, the reader slightly may think it had something to do with his career.
A man had become sick and a doctor had been called, Fettes later finds out that the doctor who is on his way to the pub is Dr Macfarlane. Fettes repeats Macfarlane twice with a sense of deep emotion; it is now obvious that Fettes knows Macfarlane but how does he? The readers ask themselves what could be the link between Fettes and Macfarlane; this creates suspense because the reader is bewildered. Conan Doyle uses the same method to create apprehension. The mention of Macfarlane instantly makes Fettes sober and so it must have been a terrible shock for him. Fettes talks about the ‘rum and sin’, which shows, on his face, the reader does not understand what he means and become intrigued. It seems that he is hiding something; this makes the reader frustrated by not knowing what he is talking about.
The night is a ‘dark winter night’ that creates a gloomy atmosphere. Macfarlane is described to have the ‘finest broad clothe, whitest of linen, a great gold watch chain and speckles of the same precious material’ whilst Fettes is described as ‘bald, dirty, pimpled and robed in his old cloak’. The reader notices that the two men are completely opposite; Macfarlane is portrayed as the rich and highly respected doctor whereas Fettes is thought as of a ‘tramp’ who is unemployed and an alcoholic. Fettes is at the bottom of the stars when Macfarlane is at the top, this symbolically gives the idea to the reader that Macfarlane is at a higher class and status and Fettes is at the bottom. Fettes refers to Macfarlane as ‘Toddy’. The few silent seconds that Macfarlane had until he noticed who it was, creates a tense atmosphere. The scared face of Macfarlane also adds to the tension. They seem to not be pleased with one another Macfarlane tries to quieten down Fettes as if they have a big secret. The reader is told that Fettes was given money from Macfarlane but he ‘cast it in the rain’, this is a powerful metaphor that shows his feeling towards the money, it implies that the money was ‘dirty’. Fettes informs us that ‘God allowed Macfarlane to live’ this gives a thought that Macfarlane had cheated death or should be dead. Macfarlane dashed towards the door when Fettes asked ‘have you seen it again?’ The reader is left with many of unanswered questions, why is Macfarlane so eager to get away? And what is ‘it’? To add to the tense situation, Macfarlane panics and urgently exits. The mention and reminder of ‘it’ caused him to become petrified. The reader now understands that ‘it’ had a big influence on Fettes and Macfarlane’s lives.
The landlord had heard of their conversation, Fettes warns him by saying ‘that Macfarlane is not safe to cross and those who have, repented too late’. Louis Stevenson affectively uses the same method to try to create suspense. Fettes only drank three glasses of rum that night instead of his usual five glasses, it is obvious to the reader that this encounter with Macfarlane had disturbed him and brought back things from the past, which Fettes wish he’d forgotten about. The narrator of Fette’s past describes how the ‘foul and unnatural event’ of Fettes past is going to be revealed. This leaves the reader with a feeling of anticipation.
We are told about ‘Mr K’ we are not told his real name in order to protect his identity. He is described as the ‘meteorically famous man’. The fact that we are not told much about ‘Mr K’ gives a mysterious impression of him and a sort of conspiratorial character, this makes the reader anxious to know who he really is this, therefore adding to the suspense in the story.
Now the writer introduces that Fettes would help cut up the dead bodies and would have been woken up in the night to do so. Now the reader finds the link of the title ‘The Body Snatcher’. Fettes is spending his nights with dead bodies, this is an unusual thing, which a person would do, and it may have affected Fettes psychologically. Macfarlane advised Fettes not to ask questions when buying the bodies ‘for conscience sake’, the reader now understands that the bodies supplied were probably murdered, so it creates suspense since the bodies have been murdered, the police might catch them.
We are told the ‘body snatchers’ were ‘more eager than usual to be gone’; the reader asks why they are eager. This produces a tense atmosphere that something even more abnormal had happened. Fettes notices that the body is ‘Jane Galbraith’, a person whom he knows. He is able to identify that she had marks on her body ‘that might well be from violence’. He is unable to deny the truth and panics; this creates anxiety since the reader is not sure what Fettes will do, will he keep quiet? or tell the police? He then asks his superior Wolfe Macfarlane what to do. Macfarlane was then looked highly upon of as he is now. Fettes and Macfarlane are told to be very good friends with each other, but what had caused their friendship to be over? Fettes and Macfarlane would dig up bodies from the graveyard to dissect them. Fettes showed Macfarlane the marks on her body and he responded by saying that it looked a little bit odd. Fettes is really concerned and doesn’t know what to do. He is told again to keep quiet about the marks on the body. Fettes once again bottle up his feelings and dissected the girl, and all the evidence was now gone.
The author shows us a man Gray whom Macfarlane was obeying, the reader is bewildered that why is Macfarlane obeying this man? It gives the feeling that he is taking advantage of Macfarlane because he may know something about Macfarlane that he wants to keep secret. The fact that this man has control over Macfarlane gives a sense of a surreptitious and mystifying atmosphere. Macfarlane was servant like. The stranger calls Macfarlane ‘Toddy’, which he doesn’t seem to like, this stresses that the man has control over Macfarlane. He is able to ‘command Macfarlane to settle the bill’.
Fettes is awoken from his sleep early in the morning and Macfarlane waits with a body. Fettes was staggered that Macfarlane had killed and brought Gray to be dissected. It was obvious that Macfarlane murdered Gray but Fettes kept quiet. Fettes has no choice, he cannot tell anyone otherwise it will ruin his career and is suspicious that if he argues with Macfarlane he may be the next body on the dissecting table. This creates suspense because the reader doesn’t know who will be murdered next.
Macfarlane clearly explains to Fettes that if he ‘holds his tongue’ no harm will come. Macfarlane tries to persuade Fettes not to say anything and compliments his abilities.
Days later Macfarlane and Fettes set out to dig up a freshly buried body. The graveyard has a dark atmosphere, the body was buried by ‘six cedar trees’, the specific number of ‘six’ was chosen by the author to give a dark and grim atmosphere because the number ‘six' is known as the devils number. It began to rain heavily and the reader is able to get a clear image of what it’s like. The weather portrays their mood and emphasises the generally tense mood. The fact that it was ‘pitch dark’ and no ‘sound but that of their own passage’ stimulates tension, the darkness gives a ghostly atmosphere. The gates are described as being white; this gain gives a ghostly feeling. The ‘moving shadows’ heightens the creepy and unpredictable feeling; this gives a mysterious and paranormal atmosphere.
The fact that Fettes and Macfarlane were digging up dead bodies in a graveyard gives a sense of insecurity. Macfarlane had ‘carelessly’ flung a stone, which had ‘announced the bounding of the lantern down the bank’, and now the night fell upon them. This is the peak of suspense. They carried on digging in darkness, this produces and edgy and tense atmosphere.
They carry the dead body on their shoulders, which is a very disturbing thing for a person to do and they clearly are distressed about the whole situation. Macfarlane tries to lighten up the atmosphere by and ‘ill favoured jest about the farmers wife’ but there was just cold silence, this demonstrates how much of a tense atmosphere it is. Louis Stevenson uses the ‘dogs howling’ to give a spooky feeling and to hint that something is about to happen, so it creates suspense and the reader is uncertain what is going to happen.
Since it was raining heavily it made the outline of the body underneath the bag, this shows how much of a terrifying experience it must have been for Fettes and Macfarlane. They are described as being ‘motionless’ and ‘they tightened the white skin’ on the faces’, this emphasises how much of a shock it is for them and how they are horrified. Macfarlane notices that it’s not a woman, and Fettes replies that ‘it was a woman’. An incredibly tense atmosphere is created. The reader is fascinated and drawn into the story even more. The author doesn’t reveal the identity of the body until the last moment, thereby keeping the tense atmosphere. The panic of the horse and the lamp being smashed emphasises the shocking twist at the end, it was Gray’s body. The reader is wondering how did the body get there? It leaves the reader thinking for reasons. Louis Stevenson leaves the reader feeling uncertain as to what had just happened, which leaves the reader frustrated and confused. Therefore he is successful in creating suspense and tension in the story and maintains it all through the story.
