HG Wells conveys the experiences in the red room in many ways throughout the story. He is an English author and a political philosopher, most famous for his science fiction

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How does HG Wells create fear and suspense in the

HG Wells conveys the experiences in the red room in many ways throughout the story. He is an English author and a political philosopher, most famous for his science fiction romances that variously depict alien invasion, terrifying future societies and transformed states of being. The story of the red room is written in first person, which suggests that the reader believes it is from personal experience. The `Red room' can be described as a gothic story, which means that it is written in the late eighteenth, early nineteenth century. A gothic story is a romantic fiction with its setting usually in a ruined gothic castle or abbey. A gothic novel emphasizes mystery and horror and it is filled with ghost haunted rooms, underground passages, and secret stair ways. The scene in the red room is set in an old, derelict castle- Lorraine Castle in which a young duke has died. This setting already suggests a mystery and immediately contributes to suspense in the story. The meaning of fear is when one is afraid to face up to their phobia. HG Wells wrote the story in 1896 and the following essay will discuss the genre, the structure, the setting, the language used the atmosphere and also imagery.

The genre builds up a mount of tension in the story where the characters description of the house gives the impression that it is old and derelict. The old woman states, `and eight and twenty years you have lived and never seen the likes of this house.' This illustrates that the house is historic and it could also be decaying.

At the beginning of the story, the character of the narrator is open minded and sure of himself. He believes there are no ghosts. He is very cynical, which is shown when he refuses to believe what the three old pensioners tell him. The character says `I can assure you said I, that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me.' The author uses very expressive words in his writing and uses the adjective `tangible', this means you can touch the ghost. You cannot touch ghosts and this is why the author uses the adjective, because the character believes ghosts are not real. The character feels unsure when the three old pensioners make him feel uncomfortable. He says `the three old pensioners made me feel uncomfortable.' This explains that the character is not made to feel at ease. It also accentuates that the old pensioners are quite convincing. The three old pensioners try to frighten the character but he still remains cynical. He says `If I see anything tonight, I shall be much wiser.' This sounds fairly sarcastic and he disbelieves the old woman and the man with the withered arm. The structure of the story also creates and sustains suspense. In the opening of the story, the characters are vividly described, the old woman for example, `the old woman sat staring into the fire, her pale eyes wide open.' This shows there is fear in the old woman and she is creepy. The caretaker is described as `the man with the withered arm,' this hints the caretaker is highly disturbing.

When the third pensioner enters, the narrator begins to be suspicious of all three of them. `A monstrous shadow of him crouched upon the wall and mocked his action as he poured his drink.' The adjective `monstrous' describes how the narrator experiences this fear and indicates he is a little scared. The narrator uses typical Victorian language which suggests the atmosphere. This is shown when the character says `gaunt silences, their bent carriages, their evident unfriendliness towards one another.' `Gaunt silences' suggest it is awkward and unpredictable of what is happening. `Unfriendliness' shows the three old pensioners do not welcome the character into the haunted house. So the narrator is already experiencing fear when he meets the three old pensioners. The descriptive words used by the narrator are also very atmospheric as it gives you a picture of his distorted views and it sets an atmospheric air. It cannot be seen why the three old pensioners make him feel uncomfortable, but the images like `gaunt' and `bent carriages' give a clear picture and therefore indicates an intense ambience.

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When the character says he is wanting to be shown in the room, `the old and with the cough jerked his head back so suddenly that it startled' the narrator. This creates suspense, as you are intrigued to know why this made the man jump. The narrator deals with this fear by reminding himself that it is just his imagination. The character says `But with an effort I sent such thoughts to my right about.' This shows that he keeps thinking to be able to put it to one side as he thinks it is silly. The narrator comments on ...

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