Referring closely to the text, discuss the techniques that Charles Dickens uses in "The Signalman" to build up tension and explain how effective a ghost story it is. Explore the social and historical context in your answer.

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Khalid Attia                                                                           English Coursework

 

The Signalman

Referring closely to the text, discuss the techniques that Charles Dickens uses in “The Signalman” to build up tension and explain how effective a ghost story it is. Explore the social and historical context in your answer.

        “The Signalman” by Charles Dickens is a very pre 20th century story. There are many clues given to the reader about the period in which it was written. The first and most obvious clues are the multi-clausal sentences. These long-winded sentences are all descriptive passages, split up in between by the use of commas. There are quite a few of them in the story. Another clue that leads us to the conclusion that it is pre 20th century written, is that the idea of class is brought up, “If I telegraph danger, on either side of me, or on both…they would displace me.”  The signalman is frightened because if he signals danger and can’t give a reason for it, they wouldn’t believe and therefore they would “displace him”. The signalman is ‘trapped’. He also has no rights; he is of a lowly class, a low standard, and a bad job and has no authority. Another very easy clue is the fact that there is a signalman on the track that waves flags to the train drivers and controls the movement of the trains. Nowadays, it is all computerized. Also, they had no telephones or other source of communication except telegraphs, which sent messages. Old language is another clue, “asunder, vehemence, mortal abhorrence”. The most obvious old words in the story are “medical practitioner” which nowadays we just call a doctor. Some of the language is out of date. Another clue is that the signalman is a very polite man, he always addresses the narrator as “Sir” and he is also very friendly. Also, there is an engine driver in other words stating that there are steam trains. They stopped running a long time ago therefore telling us even more that it is written in pre 20th century. The use of electric bells and flags for signals are out of date. These days it’s traffic lights and telephones or alarms. Two very important clues are: Firstly, the lifestyle and secondly, the idea of superstition. The signalman works in very poor conditions, his hut is very small and cold and he works all alone, which is very dangerous. Also, the fact about superstition is very important. In those days, many people were extremely superstitious and believed in ghosts, and spirits and other supernatural beings. The story is also very ‘gothic’. It is dull, dark and gloomy, which is a perfect setting for a pre 20th century novel.  

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        In the novel, Charles Dickens uses many different ways to build up tension. Many of those are the sentences that he uses. Especially, “Halloa! Bellow there!” which is a very significant sentence throughout the story. Three examples of tension building sentences are, “Just then, there came a vague vibration in the earth and air, quickly changing into a violent pulsation, and an oncoming rush that caused me to start back, as though it had force to draw me down.” “The monstrous thought came into my mind as I perused the fixed eyes and the saturnine face, that this was a ...

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