Kingshaw’s nightmare was also based on his experience and fears. He feels isolated and frightened despite the fact that many people are surrounding him. His friend Devereux did not respond to him. Similar to Warings, where he was surrounded by people. Yet no one could help him, not even his mother. The horrifying memory of the crow attacking him is revived. The crow is like the predator Hooper and Kingshaw is his prey. Hooper is now tormenting Kingshaw by locking him in the shed. Punch and Judy is supposedly an amusing show. However, it is distorted to horror in Kingshaw’s dream.
Hooper then returns to outside the shed and rekindles Kingshaw’s known fears and plays on them. However, Kingshaw puts up a brave front and pretends to be unafraid of Hoopers menacing threats. In fact, he could not get out of the shed without hooper opening it. He then thought about the times they had in the woods where they could almost be friends. However, jolting back to reality, he felt that this is made impossible for Hooper threatens Kingshaw with further torments in the future. Where he claimed that he would be the head of the dorm I the new term and he could control Kingshaw. He started talking about how new-comers would be condemned by the students there. Hooper then further haunts Hooper with the past experience of being locked up in the red room. He reminds Hooper of the moths and even said that there were rats and bats in the shed. The shed is somewhat like the Red Room, dark, mysterious and Kingshaw was again locked up in it all by himself. Kingshaw started to be afraid of what Hooper had said and did not dared to stand up or crawl back towards the light under the door. Because he was afraid of what there might be in the shed. This shows that Kingshaw is weak. He is easily affected by what other says and believes them. He is also an impressionable person. For example, he remembered about the incident in St. Vincents where they were not allowed to read about murders. He remembered about the murder trial reports that he had read.
Hooper almost succeed in breaking Kingshaw’s spirit reducing him to utter hopelessness. Kingshaw was desperate to get out. Hooper used his psychological warfare to attack kingshaw. Even though Kingshaw pretends that he is not afraid, deep down inside, he lost to Hooper. He was desperate to get out of the clutches of Hooper. Hooper then leaves Kingshaw alone in the shed again. Kingshaw started to have violent intentions to kill Hooper. Broken by the persecution, Kingshaw was unable to control himself any loner. He started crying uncontrollably. Kingshaw is now the vulnerable victim from the horror of Hoopers persecution. Susan Hill then arouse the reader’s sympathy for Kingshaw. Hooper appears to have ways of knowing everything, a disturbing quality which gives him the power to exert control over Kingshaw. Hooper’s bullying is also motiveless. For example, locking Kingshaw up in the shed. His bullying is also extreme, forcing Kingshaw to be desperate, not knowing what to do. Isolated and lost. Kingshaw is the innocent victim who has done nothing to provoke such malice. Hooper then let Kingshaw out of the shed.
Back at warings, Hooper told Mrs Kingshaw that they had been playing bandits. Instead of asking him more about it, she believed Hooper. Kingshaw’s mother, who should protect her son, makes only the most superficial enquiry about what they had been doing. The adults only made the situation worse by their blind insensitivity, and their plans for their future. Their weakness is despicable. Hooper was now able to push Kingshaw to the edge of desperation. Hooper no longer ‘bully’ Kingshaw. Instead, he pushes kingshaw a little too far. Kingshaw is now helpless. He could not defend himself anymore. He had many violent intentions like killing Hooper. But he does not show it nor does he exert it on Hooper. He is also weak and sensitive. Every little remark could cause a lot of harm to this vulnerable young boy.
This chapter reveals how Hooper causing Kingshaw to be hysterical and desperate. This chapter starts unveiling how Kingshaw wanting to get out of Hooper and in the end killing himself in the stream. Hooper manage to exert even more control on him. While Kingshaw just back away without retaliating.
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