The author then mentions, in his attempt to build tension, the size of this mansion. It is huge and it is shown when the man with the withered arm gives directions to the red room. He says the directions, but when the man attempts to repeat the directions back to him, he makes mistakes and so the man with the withered arm “corrected in one particular”. This shows that the directions to the red room are so long that a normal mind couldn’t possibly remember them all. The author uses this technique of making the mansion big to make it seem easy to get lost.
Also to emphasise how big the house is he uses mirrors, “queer old mirror at the end of the room”. Mirrors make a house look bigger and the author uses the word “queer” to emphasise how odd the mirror is. The author uses this technique to show how big and odd the house is. This creates a sense of tension because, as I have already mentioned, when there is more house, it gives more house for the character to be lost in and there are more places for the ghosts to hide.
Another technique that the author uses is repetition. He says the quote, “(this night of all nights)” which on its own builds tension, but the author repeats it to emphasise that it is important. The author’s aims by doing this was to emphasise how important the sentence was and to predict the future. In this case it shows the dangers of this night.
After this sentence, the fire is seen as a place of comfort as the next sentence says, “the old man with the shade staggered round the table so as to be closer to the others and to the fire”. This sentence could mean two things. It could show that the fire still represents hell and the old people are evil “minions” of hell for the fire, or it could mean that the fire is seen as a place of warmth or comfort and that the old people want to be “closer to each other and to the fire”. This also emphasises that tension is arising because even the old people are huddled together to keep warm. The author’s aims during that sentence were to show that tension was rising and because the old people are wise it’s like they know what is going to happen.
That is all of the tension built on the opening, now I’ll discuss how tension is built in the main body of the story.
One of the first things that the author mentions in the main body is the introduction of “omens, witches and ghosts beyond denying”. The author wouldn’t mention such things unless he were to encounter these in the near future so introducing them early in the main body gives a mystical and spooky atmosphere. The author’s aims by introducing them early were to keep the thought of these spectres and monsters in the audiences’ head which would give time for the author to properly introduce them later on.
The author uses a lot of light and dark techniques as well, like the constant use of shadows. Shadows are a trigger word because they are the outline of a human so gives a sense of personification. The author uses this technique to create more tension because shadows are considered as human replica (or close to) seeing as they are made by a human and follow your every action.
Also in the main body, the author tends to frequently refer to corners, “The door to the red room and the steps up to it were in a shadowy corner”. This sentence builds tension because not only does it mention corners but refers to shadows as well. The author uses corners to give a feeling of entrapment and isolation. My personal response to the quote was shock and alarm. I found it adequate and productive. It uses the two trigger words (shadow and corner) and puts them in one sentence.
The author refers to death quite a lot in the story. Here he mentions the words “absolute silence” which refers to death because you are only absolutely silent when you are dead.
At the end of the main body there is a desperate struggle for the main to stay alive. This is here to lead into the climax. The words “invisible hand” are used to bring a sense of tension because to me the hand represents a spectre or ghost.
The sentences become shorter as the story climbs to the climax. This is done to increase the pace of the story. As the story gets faster, more tension is built which makes the reader want to read on.
The climax itself then starts when the sentences are shortened and the ghosts are fully introduced.
The lit candles start to be extinguished by the ghosts which emphasises the technique which the author uses about darkness and shadows – the darkness is seen as a danger and a threat and so without light (candles) there is only darkness. The author uses this to gradually build up tension instead of having a ghost pounce onto the man. Building up the tension slowly gives the author a chance to describe the events clearly with intense detail. The author even describes how the man stumbles away from the ghost causing injury, “I bruised myself on the thigh against the table”. This makes the audience quiver and creates anticipation for if the character is hurt, it raises the question “what happens next? Will he escape?”
The climax ends when the man hurts himself so much that he knocks himself out. This is very disappointing because the author had tried his best to build up tension but then just lets go of a good ending which leaves the story unfinished. It leaves the audience hungry for more.
On the other hand, the ending allows the audience to be creative and think of their own ending but it takes an amazing imagination and some people don’t have one.
My personal response to the ending was that it was ineffective and disappointing because I expected more for it seemed as though the ending would be exciting because of the amount of tension built in the climax.
That is all of the tension built in “The Red Room” so now I will move onto “The Signalman”.
The Signalman (a Gothic horror story) depicts an isolated man’s struggle to overcome his fear of ghosts.
The setting is at a small abandoned signal box situated next to a railway line, which has a tunnel at the end of the line. The tunnel is the key of the story and many weird and frightening things come form this tunnel. The setting is used to show that the place is isolated and that nobody is around. Also it gives the author a reason to use many techniques such as the technique of using wet and dry, like when he says, “It was made through a clammy stone, that became oozier and wetter as I went down”. This quote gives the impression of a damp, slimy path, which is very slippery. The author uses these techniques to build further tension because when it is as slimy as he describes it to be, the atmosphere in the story changes to a clammy, creepy atmosphere.
If we were to look at the characters of the story, you would notice the typical pattern found in most Gothic stories.
There is a man of the modern world, which the story is told from (first person perspective). He believes that there is always a scientific explanation for all problems. He is also young, in his twenties or thirties to show his lack of wisdom. The author is trying to show, through this character that he isn’t as wise by making him young and the author is showing that this character could be proved wrong by showing that supernatural phenomenon can prove his scientific reasons wrong.
The other character in this story is the signalman. He is all alone, isolated in his “box” which gives the author a reason to create a spectre because this man could be alone for so long that he could start to see things that aren’t really there. Therefore, leaving a perfect scientific reason for the modern man.
The signalman is well educated because he has so much time on his hands for him to research and learn. It says, “Regarding those many long and lonely hours”, and also, “He had taught himself a language down here”. These quotes show that this man has a lot of free time to emphasise how lonely he is.
This man is also surrounded by technology and in the time period where this story is set (Victorian times); technology is seen as a threat because it put people out of jobs.
If we were to look at the opening you would notice that, like in “The Red Room”, it opens with the modern man saying something. Here, it opens with the words, “Halloa! Below there!” This quote is used because the opening can be based on this reaction to that sentence. If the story were to open on a descriptive sentence then it would be a lot more difficult to add in the characters so he uses this quote to form a foundation to the story.
The quote also builds tension because the word “below” creates an image of hell. This is a technique called imagery and is used to create images in our minds to create a mood or atmosphere.
The modern man, because he’s on top of the hill in front of the sunset, creates a shadow onto the signalman below. The signalman therefore cannot see the modern man because his figure is represented by a silhouette. This gives the story a sense of mystery, which creates tension, and an atmosphere of fear.
Within this sentence, the author also says, “an angry sunset”. The sunset could not possibly be angry but the author is trying to emphasise the colour of the sunset. Angry is associated to the colour red which is what the author is trying to show. This technique is called personification because the sunset is not alive so therefore cannot be angry.
The author’s aims during this quote were to allow the audience to picture the sunset coming alive to build up further tension and an atmosphere of fear.
Another technique the author uses within the opening is the technique of using wet and dry, “it was made through clammy stone, that became oozier and wetter as I went down”. The author wouldn’t go into such great detail without a reason because he can use this technique to build tension. A wet, damp place gives the place a spooky atmosphere.
The author then says further on, “his attitude was of such expectation and watchfulness that I stopped a moment, wondering at it”. This quote makes the audience ask “why”? There is no explanation to why he “stopped a moment”, so it creates tension because the audience want to know why. The author’s aims while doing this were to build tension and make the audience continue reading.
Later on, the author uses another technique. He says, “it struck a chill to me as if I had left the natural world”. The author wouldn’t say this unless it would tie in with the story later on so it creates lots of tension and an atmosphere of fear.
The signalman then does another peculiar action when he stares towards the red light. The author says, “He directed a most curious look towards the red light near the tunnel’s mouth as if something were missing form it”. This quote has to tie in with the story because otherwise it would be unnecessary. The author uses this to give clues to the audience about the future in the story.
That is all of the techniques that the author uses within the opening. These are the techniques that the author uses within the man’s body:
The author uses many rhetorical questions such as, “with what, what is your trouble?” These are used to make the audience ask those questions to themselves. These are very effective and build further tension.
The sentences and paragraphs are starting to get shorter because more tension is being built so the sentences need to be quick and sharp.
The author also puts in a repetition to emphasise how important the repeated word is. It says, “when you have found it, don’t call out! And when you are at the top, don’t call out!” There has to be a reason for this dramatic sentence and repeating it gives an atmosphere of fear.
The author then uses triple emphasis when he says, “What’s wrong? What has happened? Where?” The author uses this to emphasise how important these questions are by grouping them together. The author’s aims during this were to build further tension by suggesting questions to the audience.
Further on, the author mentions a trigger word, “tomb”. This word (along with many other words in the story that I haven’t mentioned) triggers the imagination of the audience to make them imagine things. This builds lots of tension.
That is all of the techniques that are mentioned in the man’s body. If I were to say when the author used all of them it would take me pages to describe.
The climax doesn’t build much tension because the story is told form the modern man’s point as he sleeps in the inn. The climax mainly consists of the modern man reflecting on his experiences so far but it gives clues to the ending such as “unable to overcome a feeling that there would be something treacherous in my communicating what he had told me to his superiors”. He knew that something would happen.
The climax isn’t what you would call a climax but, in my view, a disappointment but the author couldn’t have a climax because the story is told form the modern man’s point of view, not the signalman’s and the climax would need to be from the signalman’s point of view if there was one.
In the ending, the author repeats the signalman’s home – his “box”. The box gives the audience the imagery of a coffin, which relates to death.
I noticed that in the ending, the word, “appearance” hasn’t got a capital letter while throughout the story it has one. This is because throughout the story it has been a proper noun but now is just a noun.
The author also says the word “bed” repeatedly. This word could be associated with rest, which fits in with the story because of the signalman’s death.
At the end of the ending there is a short conclusion to the story. This is here to “wrap up “ the story. It gives a perfect conclusion to the supernatural problems earlier approached.
In conclusion to the question, “how do the authors use language to create suspense and an atmosphere of fear?” I give the answer that these stories are alike. They both have mainly the same structure, they both use the same techniques and they both follow the same rules because they are both Gothic stories so therefore share mainly the same concepts. Both authors use language and any other technique mentioned to build tension. Overall, they are both alike.
Oliver Jarvis