Also in “The Withered Arm”, Rhoda is suspected of being a witch when she’s pregnant, but not married, which is believed to be the work of the devil.
The person that these two stories are written in are different as “The Red Room” is written in first person which makes it more personal as we get to know the young man’s feelings better. They are coming from his own mouth and not somebody else’s.
“The Withered Arm” is written in the third person, which allows information to be kept from the reader, thus building up suspense.
The settings in both the stories add to the mystery/supernatural feeling. The description of the young man in “The Red Room” when he is making his way to The Red Room builds up suspense as it seems like it takes him forever to get there. He walks past the “bronze statues” and this builds up a feeling of loneliness and isolation. When he is inside, the “flickering candles” and shadows build up suspense, which makes the reader want to read on.
“The Withered Arm” builds up suspense when Gertrude is going to Casterbridge to see the execution. There is again a feeling of loneliness on the road there as she seems to be in the middle of nowhere. A quote is, “The solitary feeling always makes us accept that strange things might happen.”
The young man in “The Red Room” is very arrogant, “if I see anything tonight. I shall be so much the wiser. For I come to the business with an open mind.” This shows that the man wants to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding “The Red Room” and prove his theory that ghosts don’t exist correct. He is not superstitious and almost mocks the older more wary generation.
H.G.Wells doesn’t name the characters in his short story makes them more mysterious or perhaps supernatural. All of the characters except the “twenty-eight year old man” are all old with “decaying yellow teeth” or “withered” giving them a negative image adding to their mystery and making them more repellent. The author describes the old man as having “red eyes”. This is a connection to evil and the devil.
“A short glance of positive dislike” shows an unfriendly atmosphere which is used to build up suspense and tension. We are almost expecting the young man to meet his downfall.
“A monstrous shadow of him crouched upon the wall mocked his action.” This shows that his shadow is like a person who is watching his every move. This is a bit like a surveillance camera watching him. This is in “The Red Room”.
The author uses repetition to get the reader drawn into the short story as the man with the Withered Arm keeps on repeating the line, “it’s your own choosing”. This line leaves the reader anxious as you wonder what he means by it. Also he won’t accept any responsibility if he is harmed.
“The Red Room” is decorated in “red” like “red eyes” as it is associated with evil, the devil and blood.
It seems as if the old people know what is going to happen as there is a quote saying, “with an intense expression on their ancient faces”.
The Castle/house has a “Long, draughty subterranean passage” and a “spiral staircase”. They both increase the fear of the house/castle because you can’t see around a “spiral staircase” and an “underground passage” suggests that the castle is alive or harmful.
The suspense in “The Red Room” is largely because of the characters and the descriptions. They are all old and mysterious, except the young narrator. The reader is aware of the ghostly paranormal feeling in the quotes that the old people say and in their descriptions. “His lower lip, half averted, hung pale and pink…” This is a good example of the negative way in which the old people are described as.
The more negative their descriptions are, the more the reader expects supernatural events.
In “The Withered Arm”, Rhoda is juxtaposed from the beginning of the book and at the end of the book as she is the character you are supposed to hate, but by the end of the short story, the reader realises that Rhoda is the nice character and that Gertrude has changed into an “irritable, superstitious woman.” She will also do almost anything to be cured.
The description of Rhoda and Gertrude in “The Withered Arm” is very effective. The dream that Rhoda has seems very real and suspicious, especially when the son hears a noise. He says, “What was that noise in your chimmer?” And also when we hear that Gertrude has hurt her arm in the same place that Rhoda was throwing and tossing Gertrude around her bedroom in. It is a clever writing technique as it is blurred fantasy and reality.
Also, in “The Vision”, characters are described as ugly when they seem evil. A few quotes for this is, “features shockingly distorted” and “maddened mentally” which is also alliteration. “Spectre” is another as Gertrude described in the dream in supernatural ways.
“The Dream” is getting more real now as it says, “outline of the far fingers” which means that Gertrude’s arm is getting worse. Rhoda is now starting to believe that she has supernatural powers. “A horrid sort of spell.”
Conjuror Trendle says, “I am look and weak now.” It shows that Rhoda’s powers are much more than the wizards.
In “A Suggestion”, we can see that Rhoda is dreading meeting Mrs Lodge. “Dreaded to meet Mrs Lodge”. This shows how nervous she is and that she doesn’t want to make a mistake. This has an effect on the reader.
Because of all the bad gossips in the town, Rhoda is suspected of being a witch. “Sorceress would know the whereabouts of the exorcist.”
“Not Conjuror Trendle?” said her thin companion, turning pale.” Rhoda knows that Conjuror Trendle is going to find out she put a spell on her. It’s building up tension to describe the characters’ feeling.
The reader starts suspecting Gertrude and Rhoda when they meet alone on the hill so it’s private and there is “suspicion of their mystic intent.” This builds up suspense and supernatural feeling.
In the chapter called, “Conjuror Trendle”, Rhoda is made to “wait outside” of the room when Conjuror Trendle shows Gertrude who has hurt her. It builds up suspense because the author Thomas Hardy makes the reader feel they’re outside with Rhoda by describing what she sees rather than what Gertrude sees.
A language device that the author uses is pathetic fallacy. “Thick clouds made the atmosphere dark.” And “The wind howled”. Obviously the wind didn’t literally howl.
“A slight figure, cloaked and veiled.” That is how Gertrude is described. Also shows that there is mystery surrounding her.
On the way they hardly spoke to each other because they were preoccupied and nervous. As it says, “they talked monosyllabic.” This is just like one word questions and answers.
Both “The Red Room” and “The Withered Arm” have hints and secrets which are slowly revealed bit by bit. In “The Red Room” it is the predecessor found dead. The reader wants to read on to find out more about The Red Room as this builds up suspense.
In “The Withered Arm”, this is again secretive as it starts with the daily routine of milking cows but as you can see there is a mystery about Rhoda and the Farmer so this builds up suspense and you want to carry on reading the book.
These two short stories were both written in Victorian times at a time of great superstition. A difference is that “The Red Room” is shorter and you won’t get bored reading it.
In “The Red Room”, the language used to describe the young man making his way to the room is very effective as it shows the sinister feeling in the house and that you wouldn’t want to be there. “The echoes rang up and down the spiral staircase.”
