you know that the story involves ghosts and other, grotesque characters who appear less than “normal”.
“It is your own choosing”, said the man with the withered arm, and glanced at me askance”.
HOW DO WELLS AND HILL CREATE FEAR AND SUSPENSE, AND WHICH, IN YOUR OPINION, IS MORE SUCCESSFUL?
The first thing this passage lets the reader know is that the occupants of the house are a little odd in
Their appearance, with the nameless old man having “a withered arm”, an old woman with “her pale eyes wide open”, and another old man who is
“even more bent, more wrinkled, and more aged even than the first”.
I believe the author, H.G.
Wells, creates these deformed and distinctly odd characters to try and put across to the reader that the
house is far from ordinary. Secondly, it shows the characters obvious reluctance
to force the “open minded” main character into spending the night in the Red Room. This reluctance is emphasised
by the way these characters keep repeating the same warning over and again,
“It is your own choosing”,
giving the impression that the characters want to make sure that he knows they think he is very unwise to visit The Red Room,
“This night of all nights!” said the old woman”.
This shows that those who have experienced the horrors of the house do not
wish to do so again. Equally, they do not wish for any other person to suffer either, which makes the “ghost” that haunts the Red Room seem very powerful and intimidating. I feel this is a great technique for increasing the suspense in the story.
This, I believe, is a very impressive opening to a short story, as it builds up a great deal of tension in such a short period of time.
This is in contrast to the calm and tranquil opening of Farthing House, by Susan Hill. This story is not a classic Gothic horror, but a more relaxed, and
HOW DO WELLS AND HILL CREATE FEAR AND SUSPENSE, AND WHICH, IN YOUR OPINION, IS MORE SUCCESSFUL?
thoughtful ghost story set in recent times. It offers a deeper, more detailed description of its characters and locations than The Red Room’s frantic opening. In the Farthing House’s opening, there is no mention of any supernatural events or haunted rooms. Instead, the story begins with,
“a most beautiful day, clear and cold and blue.”
This is in great contrast to The Red Room’s dark, claustrophobic interior. Also,
Farthing House’s main character is not the confident, almost arrogant,
young man who tells the reader he is not afraid of any type of supernatural events.
“I can assure you”, said I, “that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me”.
Rather, she is an elderly, gentle female raking the leaves in her garden who describes her decision to visit
her Aunt Addy at an old people’s home. This does not immediately make
the reader feel either tension or suspense. Comparing the two openings, The Red Room is successful in creating suspense at a very early stage, making
for a more intense opening which promises more horror than compared to Farthing House.
As The Red Room’s story progresses, the main character is now making his way
through the, “chilly, echoing passages”, again, with the only light coming from a candle. The narrator describes sound in great
detail as he continues on his journey to the “haunted room”.
HOW DO WELLS AND HILL CREATE FEAR AND SUSPENSE, AND WHICH, IN YOUR OPINION, IS MORE SUCCESSFUL?
“The echoes rang up and down the spiral staircase”,
and,
“a rustling that I fancied I heard; then, satisfied of the absolute silence, I pushed open……”
This makes the reader feel more involved with the story, not only knowing visual
details, but audio too. The narrator also implements shadows extensively in his story,
with flickering shadows often resembling something sinister,
“and a shadow came sweeping up after me, and one fled before me into the darkness
overhead.”,
and also,
“its shadow fell with marvellous distinctness upon the white
panelling and gave me the impression of someone crouching to waylay me”
This way of describing the shadows creates a sense of them being almost alive,
Chasing, or waiting behind corners, to catch the main character as he continues his
journey, which is a very affective technique that the author uses to creates fear in his
story. And finally, there are numerous pauses that the narrator uses, usually just before the opening of doors, or turning corners,
“I was about to advance, but stopped abruptly. A bronze group stood upon the landing, hidden from me by the corner of the wall.”
“I stood rigid for half a minute perhaps.”
This builds up an enormous amount of suspense for the reader, not knowing what it is
that is hidden from view. Finally, the character enters The Red Room.
HOW DO WELLS AND HILL CREATE FEAR AND SUSPENSE, AND WHICH, IN YOUR OPINION, IS MORE SUCCESSFUL?
