signal man

The same technique is used in ‘the Monkeys Paw’ and ‘the Red Room’. ‘The Monkeys Paw’ is set out in a ‘far out’ ‘beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way’ place that suggests that this place is isolated and something strange may occur. In addition, a vague description of weather is given at the beginning of the text, as ‘as the night was cold and wet’.

‘The Red Room’ is set in an ancient house in which a young duke has died. Its ancient rooms and primitive mystery lead us to blood and death.

In ‘the Signal Man’, there are only two main characters, the narrator and the signalman. The narrator has ‘speculated’ that the signalman has suppuration in his mind. A man who works in such boring and isolated conditions makes the story full of mystery and suspense.

In ‘the Monkeys Paw’, sergeant- major Morris is a mysterious character. He speaks of bringing exotic elements into the story. The sergeants ‘beady eyes’ and ‘heavy footsteps’ indicates a gloomy atmosphere has risen in the story.

In ‘the Red Room’, several old men and a young brave narrator are mentioned. A strong impression of decay and death is presented by the description of the ‘grotesque custodians’. The narrator feels uncomfortable with their withered silences and their evident unfriendliness.

All three writers use language to create atmosphere of mystery, words like ‘grotesque’, ‘withered’ and ‘decaying’. In ‘The Red Room’ H.G. Wells uses claustrophobia, which is the key in his story. ‘The Signal Man’ creates tension and unpredictability by using his choice of language in the story. ‘The Monkeys Paw’ has the same technique as ‘The Signal Man’ its interesting choice of words like ‘grimace’ and ‘talisman’ keeps the reader dubious of what is to happen next.

In my opinion I believe that ‘the Red Room’ is the most compelling of the three. It is my favourite of the three because of how enclosed and isolated he is in one tiny room. I also like the fact that “the red room” ending is not completely decisive.