The man with the withered arm mentions ‘It’s your own choosing’ a few times during the start of the story; this suggests he is providing lots of opportunities for the Narrator in case he decides not to go and also to give him plenty of warnings. Wells left many unanswered questions for the reader to try figure it out and let us think what should happen next. The writer makes the old people all deformed or with problems to show their age is up to the very top and to fit in with the surroundings. This character seems much younger compared to the man with the shade. Wells uses comparative language to make the man with the shade more aged than the man with the withered arm by describing him as wrinkly, bent and old, the man with the shade have to support his body with a stick, unlike the other man he doesn’t have any problems walking around.
The Narrator shows us he is fearless of ghosts, the quote ‘It will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me’ gives us the impression that he is being arrogant and big headed. This is because he is from a high social class and he doesn’t trust any of the old people, he is simple looking down onto them. Wells made this character brave and intelligent to contrast the age of the Narrators and with the others by making a big gap between the different ages. The writer never talk much about this character, perhaps his intention is to let us build up a picture of the Narrator or maybe he wants us to be in the Narrator’s position. This will then force the reader to think deeper into the story and to let the reader ask the questions to them self. Wells made these characters arrogant and weird which match up with the place that is creepy and derelict buildings.
H.G. Wells uses a variety of ways to create fear and tension to make the place sounds frightening and dangerous in setting.
The writer described the old people’s room filled with old and ancient furniture, ‘Queer old mirror at the end of the room’ this quote suggests the room is derelict and the furniture has been there for a long time due to the old people who perhaps cannot look after themselves or their surroundings properly. The old people seem to huddle around the fire, maybe the fire acting as a kind of comfort to prevent the thoughts of the Red Room. ‘the old man with the shade rose and staggered round the table, so as to be closer to the others and to the fire’. The old people all gathered around the fire as if life only exists around there. The room only light source is the fire and due to the overpowering darkness, slowly it will be put out. In the daylight, the tension and fear dropped. This might be that the room feels warmer giving the people the feeling of secure and relaxed, the old people’s attitude was much brighter and kind. The room was described as bright and calm, ‘I told you so, said the old woman’, this quote shows that the old woman is talking again and joining conversations. Wells used this to show that during daylight, the place is full of life but when the night comes, the place turns wield. The author wants to build up the tension near the start and slowly come back down at the end to make the reader think back of the story.
The passage to the corridor was cold and dirty, ‘The long, draughty, subterranean passage was chilly and dusty’, this quote represents that no one has been down to the underground passage for a long time and gives the reader the feeling of damp and cold in the darkness. Wells add echoing sound to show that the place is quite and only the sound the Narrator makes can only be heard. This will build up the tension to let us think of how the Narrator copes with these situations. The writer also shows us darkness of the passage and the only light source is from the candle, ‘A shadow came sweeping up after me’ this shows that as he walks, the shadows from behind is following, keeping a distance from the light and the shadows in front is moving away. The word ‘sweeping’ makes me think of chasing and running, this might be that the darkness is following the Narrator, as if it is engulfing the light. Wells compared the crackling fire in the old people’s room and the flickering flame to show that the passage is darker and creepier. This gives the reader the feeling that the shadows could move towards him when the candle runs out and surround him in the darkness.
The corridor to the Red Room is dim with only moonlight shining through the windows ‘Moonlight coming in by the great window on the grand staircase picked everything in vivid black shadow or silvery illumination’, this quote indicates moonlight brightening up the corridor but the darkness lying in the corners that the light. The shadows blocked up the view of figures which make the Narrator portray fear and panic inside him; he holds the revolver to show us that he is trying to reassure himself even if there is anything that could get to him. The statues hidden in the shadows making the Narrator dare not to move, this will make the readers think to themselves and wonder what is behind the shadows.
The Red Room was creepy and frightening, ‘The shadow sprang back to its place’, this quote suggests the candle went out and the shadow moved back to its original place. This will make the reader think that the shadow is jumping a step closer towards him. The word ‘sprang’ make me think the shadow swept out the candles to reach towards the narrator and to make the room plunge into darkness. The narrator lit up seventeen candles to reassure that there is nothing in the room and to check that the windows and the door is locked so no one can get in. The Narrator start to panic and when all the candles went out, ‘Wrapped about me in a stifling embrace’, this creates a feeling for the reader that the Narrator is wrapped up tightly in the darkness and cannot get out. Wells wanted us to ask lots of questions so he described the character like being wrapped up in a tight blanket which cannot be push away or ripped apart, this will make the reader think to themselves, what has caused this and how come it suddenly when dark? Wells shows that the Narrator is self-conscious and terrified by making the reader imagine darkness everywhere which he cannot escape. The word ‘stifling’ make me think of stiff and tight, this might be that the author wants us to think of this, to make us feel as if we were there with the Narrator. This will make the story more interesting and makes the reader want to read on and find out what happens.
H.G. Wells have used lots of interesting ways to created fear and tension in structure by how the characters are described etc.
In the story there are many contrasts, Wells uses juxtaposition to compare the darkness and the light by giving the reader a terrifying feeling; this makes the darkness much darker and the brightness much brighter. ‘for the moonlight coming in by the great window’, this show that near the start of the story, Wells made the place dark and with only some moonlight shining in, this let us think of the place is creepy and frightening. The author then uses ‘I opened my eyes in the daylight’; this shows the tension level rises as the Narrator travel from the old people’s room to the Red Room. The writer also compares the age of the characters and the social class of the characters, this way the reader will get a weird feeling of the old people and let the reader wonder if the old people are human or not.
When the Narrator got to the Red Room he was frightened, at this point his tension is fairly high ‘I entered, closed the door behind me at once, turned the key I found in the lock within’, this quote shows he quickly closed the door to make sure no one can get in or out. The phrase ‘at once’ let me think of immediately, Wells might want us to think that someone might be following him and want us to think ahead of the story. The Narrator checks the room to make sure that all the windows are shut and no other secret entrances, this will make the Narrator feel a bit safer. ‘tapped the dark oak panelling for any secret opening’, this indicates that he is checking the oak panelling to see if there are any secret opening that people can get in. This makes the readers think that he will be alright and nothing bad will happen.
As the tension level rises the Narrator shows that he is frightened by having a conversation with himself about ghosts. ‘A conversation with myself upon the impossibility of ghosts and haunting’, this gives the reader the feeling that he is trying to calm down by mentioning that there is no such thing as ghosts. The Narrator felt pleased after he light up the seventeen candles, ‘There was something very cheery and reassuring in these little streaming flames’, this portrays that he is calmer by having the whole room lit up with small flickering flames, the author might want the readers to feel warmer and happier for the Narrator, this way the tension drops a tiny bit before the worst bit to come. The word ‘cheery’ make me think of cheerful and happy, this might be that Wells want to show that the castle is not just filled with fear and horror, but also a tiny amount of happiness.
When the candles slowly went out, the Narrator panicked, this part of the story tension level is up near the top, this might be due to the darkness that the Narrator is surrounded in. Wells uses lots of different words to describe how the candles went out ‘two candles on the little table by the fireplace were extinguished’ this suggests that the author wants us to think it happened lots of times. This will make the reader think that the darkness is playing tricks on him by making the candles go out in different ways for example vanished, extinctions, went out etc.
Wells uses a range of ideas to create an image for the Red Room’s atmosphere, ‘The black shadow sprang back to its place’, this gives reader the feeling that the shadow is like have a mind of its own, jumping back to its original place and playing tricks on the narrator. This is properly due to the Narrator lighting up another candles near the shadow. Wells might wants us to think about the shadow jumping back, this might be that something is hiding in the shadows that have to move back to it place due to the light around the shadow.
The Red Room was dark, Wells described the process fast, ‘like the shutting of an eye’, he wants the reader think to themselves that the speed of shutting your eyes is really quick this means when the darkness wrapped up the Narrator, it gives us the feeling that suddenly the place is just dark and the feeling of unexpected. Wells might want us to build an image of the place, nothing else but darkness.
The candles went out fast, ‘like a ragged stormcloud sweeping out the stars’, this indicates that the candles are going out fast like a stormcloud blocking out all the candles. Wells uses this imagery to show that the candles are going out fast, this will make the reader think of the places will get darker and darker. The word ‘stormcloud’ let me think of darkness and storm. This might be that the candles are going out quickly like a storm destroying things.
The story of the Red Room was passed on from people to people ‘one could well understand the legends that had sprouted in its black corner’, this quote shows that the story might started off small and as people passed it on to people the story changed and become a exaggerating story. The word ‘sprouted’ lets me think of generating and growing, this is because more and more people know the secret. Wells wants us to think that the story is as old as the place; this will make reader think that when people hear the story, they will know where it stated off which also makes the places sound haunted and scary.
In conclusion I would say that the ‘Red Room’ story is an interesting story to read. I think that H.G. Wells have done a good job at making the story fascinating. The story has some good description that attracts reader’s attention. I think that the writer have created fear and tension in this Victorian ghost story.
