"Show how H.G Wells and Robert Bloch Create fear in 'The Red room' and 'Hobo'. What techniques do they use? How effective are they?"

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GCSE English coursework

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“Show how H.G Wells and Robert Bloch Create fear in ‘The Red room’ and ‘Hobo’. What techniques do they use? How effective are they?”

      During this coursework, I will be studying and comparing two short stories in order to see how fear is created in the writing of different authors. The two short stories I will be using for this essay are ‘Hobo’ and ‘The Red room’. Robert Bloch wrote ‘Hobo’ at the start of the 20th century and its setting is in America. During this time, the country was in the grips of a depression and many people were unemployed, living as tramps (or in American terms Hobos).  ‘The Red room’ is also a Non-modern story but H.G Wells wrote it earlier on, at the end of the 19th century. Both stories build up fear using descriptive writing and characterisation but use these techniques in varying ways.

            The setting of a story can be one of the most important ways in which an author can start to create and express fear. ‘Hobo’s setting is on a freight train, which is moving away from an American town. It is set in the half darkness of evening and throughout the story, it gets darker. This darkness sets the readers mind on the unknown and since the unknown is scary for everyone, this is a crucial element in creating fear within the setting. Robert Bloch describes the fact it is getting darker as a ‘deepening twilight’. The boxcar on the freight in which the story is set is musty and enclosed (A very uncomfortable place to spend any time). From where he sits Hannigan can look out of the open box car door and see the city flash by like a chain of lights ‘A solid neon chain’. The time of year is probably summer, you can see this in the sentence ‘Feeling the perspiration trickle down under the folds of the dirty jacket’; he is sweating so it is likely to be hot. The description of the scene really helps the reader to create a mental image of the setting and helps them to imagine just how enclosed, claustrophobic and stifling the boxcar would be, also how alone they themselves would feel in such a place. They think of themselves being there, and so compare themselves to the main character, Hannigan and imagine his feelings. The Readers ability to imagine how a character feels, and feel empathy towards them is the most important factor in creating fear, if they cant do this then it is unlikely that they will be frightened at all by the story.

            In contrast, ‘The Red Room’s setting is in the 19th century in a presumably English castle called Lorraine castle. In this story, the main character moves around rather than staying in one place like in ‘Hobo’. The story starts in the castle housekeepers’ room, which is dark toned and old, fashioned for the period. This gives this part of the story a dreary, old feel, which suits the old servants who care for the castle to whom the main character talks to at this point of the story. The narrator (also the main character) says that this room and the three servants within it had a strong affect on him because ‘they seemed to belong to a different age’ one where witches and ghosts were believable.  Being from a different, younger era, where the supernatural is starting to be doubted, he finds being in that situation weird and un-natural. After being in the housekeepers room the story moves through corridors, which are dark and therefore have a creepy kind of feel. Some descriptions of them are ‘Draughty and subterranean’ and ‘Chilly and dusty’. The last corridor he passes through contains some bronze figures that cast eerie shadows in the moonlight and startle him at first because the shadows look like someone crouching ready to attack him. This perhaps insignificant detail helps to add atmosphere to the story. As the title suggests the most important setting of the story is that of the red room. The red room is thought to be haunted, it is painted red and black, both very symbolic colours of blood and death, it is as the author puts it ‘a very sombre room’. It has many shadowy alcoves and window bays, which make the room, seem even gloomier and more sombre. The room has sconces in which to put candles and a fireplace, which the housekeeper laid ready for lighting. The room is perfectly still and the only noises come from the crackling fire and the echoing on the stair.

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The main character of a story is the character you ‘get to know’ most, so what they feel and their emotions can affect the way you feel. This is very useful when a writer needs to create fear because they can do it through the main character’s actions, feelings and their overall personality. Hannigan, the main character in ‘Hobo’ is a hobo (a tramp); he is a poor man, dirty and unshaven with old dirty clothes. Hannigan likes to drink what he calls ‘sneaky Pete’ (alcohol of some kind, perhaps whisky); consequently, he is drunk in the story. The fact ...

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