How does the author create suspense in the red room

Authors Avatar

How does the author create atmosphere and suspense in the Red Room and the Signalman?

Ghosts, every culture in the world has their own version. From the Yurei in Asia, to ghouls in the Arab world. And as ghost stories have been passed down forever, certain elements were developed to increase the suspense and atmosphere. These effects have been used extensively in everything from folk stories of the bogeyman, to the modern thriller genre of movies. In these stories I have noted the effects used in creating a journey of suspense and tension. And I am going to discuss effects that I have noted in this essay.

Wells and Dickens both have the characters who after their bizarre occurrences have had their central characters reflecting on what had occurred to them ;

In ‘The Signalman the narrator contemplating tbe’ ‘I may, in closing it, point out the coincidence that the warning of the Engine-Driver included the narrator thinks of the tragedy that has just occurred to the Signalman. And if the incidents were truly coincidental or rather supernatural. Then he contemplates how the supernatural is existent this enhanced by the fact of which in the time it was written trains and the jobs of Signalmen were considered at the height of technology.

In Wells ‘Red Room’ his narrator is also an arrogant and smug personality who after his ironic occurrence in the ‘Red Room’ has also reflected on what just happened to him, and how he might have lost his life. Including what haunts the ‘Red Room’ which he attributes to the fear which is associated with the ‘Red Room’. ‘Fear! Fear that will not have light nor sound that will not bear with reason’ this makes the reader take notice to the possible tragedy and the possibility of the alternate conclusions that were possible. This leaves the reader with an uneasy sensation of tension and anxiety

Join now!

This is enforced by the language that is used in the stories effectively represents an abnormal and supernatural atmosphere. In ‘‘The Signalman’ the language used to describe the train tunnel creates an image of a dark grotto ‘Gloomier entrance to a black tunnel’. These words carry powerful imagery such as ‘black’ suggests not that the tunnel is just dark and devoid of light which is already depressing but it even worse as it is pitch black, this creates mystery as to what the tunnel hides. This is disturbing because it gives a sense of mystery and suspense; it creates an ...

This is a preview of the whole essay