As the chapter goes on, and they encounter the moor closer than before, their previous presumptions were secured. As is said later on;
“…there rose ever, dark against the evening sky, the long, gloomy curve of the moor, broken by the jagged and sinister hills.”
This simply is more or less a repeat of their first impressions of the moor, to secure that vision and concept of the moor.
As they continue on their way, it increasingly becomes more uneasy and soon even the weather and the wind seems to be in tune with their unease as it says, “a cold wind swept down from it and set us shivering.” This indicates that the journey is becoming more and more uncomfortable as time goes by, and their feelings are becoming hard to conceal and soon becomes an obvious fear.
Another addition to the ever-growing suspense that is building up is the discovery of the fact of the escaped convict roaming the moors, who had been missing on the moors for 3 days. They describe him as;
“…this fiendish man… like a wild beast, his heart full of malignancy against the whole race which had cast him out.”
This was the one last thing that was needed to complete the feeling of total unease on the journey, as it says the “grim suggestiveness of the barren waste, the chilling wind, and the dartling sky”, meaning that all these things have sealed the tension and brought it to a head.
But even so, after making some more progress on their journey, the men begin to miss the country with; “the slanting rays of a low sun turning the streams to threads of gold and glowing on the red earth” as they enter an altogether much “ bleaker and wilder” part of the moor. This powerful description again really draws a picture of the moor making the reader fell like they are involved in the story themselves. Strong description helps the reader also sympathise with the characters. Their journey seems to go on a decline in terms of spirits as it says they reach a;
“cup-like depression, patched with stunted oaks and firs which had been twisted and bent by the fury of years of storm.”
This almost reflects their mood as they all were weary from travel yet still with the same suspense as always.
After building all this tension, the readers’ expectations grow higher and expect a really scary destination, so the author has a lot to live up to. The first sight of Baskerville Hall is two towers just visible above the trees, and then soon we come into view of the whole thing. Here, tension is at one of its highest points and the words used are perfect, such like; “weather-bitten pillars” and “a ruin of black granite and bared ribs of rafters,” all these words give the impression of an old, decrepit house, which has been worn away over the years.
Conan Doyle then makes a link to the grisly reason why they are there. As they pass under an archway which the trees bent over to create, Baskerville asked weather this was the place of his uncle’s death. It then reflects this as it says:
”Baskerville shuddered as he looked up the long, dark drive to where the house glimmered like a ghost at the farther end.”
This shows that the house is as good as dead, like as though it has been empty for so long that it has become like a ghost, or possibly signifies the fact that the threat still remains, that they are not safe.
The house is portrayed as a gothic, almost castle, because it is said to have some “coat of Arms” on the wall. This shows just how old it really is, and how long they have been suffering this threat. It describes the ivy cascading down the wall as “a dark veil”, similar to the mystery itself, like its hiding the truth.
There is another excellent use of personification and of a simile when the author describes Sir Henry standing there looking at his surroundings. It says;
“The light beat upon him where he stood, but long shadows trailed down the walls and hung like a black canopy above him.”
This makes it seem as though the black canopy is the threat of what is going to happen, ready to jump down on him, like he’s not alone.
Watson’s last impression of the moor and the house does not differ from his first, as is said;
“…a broken fringe of rocks and the long, low curve of the melancholy moor. I closed the curtain, feeling that my last impression was in keeping with the rest.”
This shows just how they all felt about the place that it was a depressing, dangerous place where trouble was waiting just around the corner.
In conclusion, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle made chapter 6 of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ have an atmosphere of danger and tension by using powerful description to draw the reader into the story, and to create imagery in their minds. By using little dialogue he was able to describe even the tiniest things and make them all seem relevant. It is an excellent chapter, in a superb book.
