It describes the man as “high blooded, fiery and masterful”; this helps the reader relate it to Hugo Baskerville who started the curse. As they travel further they describe the moor as “forbidding”, and the use of forbidding is used to show danger. Danger and forbidding can be linked to the curse, and as the moor is forbidding it shows signs that they should turn around. The atmosphere is now thrilling and gloomy.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle states “difficult and dangerous quest”, this relates to the case and shows that it will involve consequences and “dangerous” leads the reader to believe something bad, untoward will happen. The general feeling of the case seems to be changing as in London, Sherlock Holmes thought of it as another normal case, but in the moor it is said to be “difficult” and “dangerous”. The reader is now beginning to paint a picture or form a mental image of the hostile environment.
For a final contrast Sir Arthur Conan Doyle states “behind the peaceful and sunlit countryside”, this shows finally they leave the lovely, safe countryside to go deep into the gloomy moor. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses many expressions to show his negative opinions of the moor, “dripping moss”; this makes the reader cringe and sets the horrific mood to come. “Noisy stream” shows that the peaceful, quiet countryside had gone, now using sound he shows that it the countryside is restless, using words like “roaring and foaming” he illustrates that loud noises surround them. “Roaring and foaming” may also represent the dog as the hound howls and has saliva dripping from its mouth, this also relates to the “dripping moss”. As they enter the moor it states, “rotting vegetation-sad gifts”, this can be compared to the countryside as they were pleased by the “luxurious vegetation” but now it is “rotting vegetation”, this changes the atmosphere to old and dead.
As they near the end of the moor they see a “dark and stern” soldier, this shows that the moor is not safe, as it has a soldier protecting it. When young Baskerville states, “convict escaped”, it sets an uneasy atmosphere, as people are scared and worried. Also a convict escaped relates to the hound as two killers are on the loose.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle relates the Notting Hill murderer to our hound and uses various statements to describe him. “Brutality” and “assassin”, they are both words the reader could associate with the hound who killed various people. The atmosphere changes to dangerous and dark. The atmosphere now reflects on the mood of young Baskerville and the scenery around the moor. The atmosphere should also change the reader’s views as the lush green countryside was seen as peaceful whilst the moor is the opposite.
As they grow close to Baskerville Hall the atmosphere gets darker as the author mentions a “darking sky”, this sets the atmosphere for the rest of the chapter, as they do not turn back. “We looked back”, this shows they wanted to go back to the countryside where they feel safe, but they venture on. This can also demonstrate that Sherlock Holmes may see the case as dangerous. The passenger’s imagination reminds them off the lushness of the countryside as it states “red earth turned by the plough”.
The contrast between the countryside and the moor may be seen as heaven and hell. The countryside was peaceful but the moor is noisy. Also in the countryside everything is safe, but arriving on the moor with escaped convicts and the curse of the Baskervilles, everything is alive and immediate. People see heaven as peaceful and hell as the opposite. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses this to make readers feel uneasy.
The first description of Baskerville Hall is “fury of years of storm”; this sets a dark and dismal atmosphere. Storms seem to make everything dark and gloomy and sunlight seems to bring positive emotions. When it states “years” this shows that Baskerville Hall has not seen sunlight for a while, this suggests that the curse is still alive as Baskerville Hall is a dark, evil place.
“Long, dark drive”, is the first statement when they arrive in Baskerville territory. This can be related to the case, as now the readers see it as long, as it is taking a while to solve, and dark because they are exploring the hound and the deaths. “The house glimmered like a ghost”, this shows a scary atmosphere, as ghosts are philosophical scary creatures used to express death. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle states, “ghost” he may be talking about the hound, as the reader does not know whether the hound is real. It too may be philosophical like the ghost. The atmosphere now is dark and evil as “dark” and “ghost” are both representative terms associated with evil.
When young Baskerville states, “scare any man”, it shows how scary the hall is. In the book Sherlock Holmes is seen to be different as he can pick out the smallest crucial bits of detail in seconds, for example when he was looking through the cup at Watson in chapter one. For Baskerville Hall to be deemed to ‘scare any man’ implies that Holmes himself would be scared. This would make the reader feel exposed to harm as Holmes gives the impression of being fearless.
“Fading light” shows the final comparison, as they started off in the light countryside and now they arrive at Baskerville Hall where the light is disappearing. This shows they are not safe.
When they arrive at Baskerville Hall a voice states, “Welcome, Sir Henry!” this is ironic as Sir Henry does not feel welcome, as Baskerville Hall appears to him as gloomy and uninviting.
In chapter six, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses atmosphere to compare the countryside to the moor. Comparing the scenery and the mood, as when travelling it seems to the reader that the closer they get to Baskerville Hall the further they get from safety. Also the closer they get the less peaceful it gets, as the moor is described as “noisy” and “roaring”. Also the light seems to disappear and in the countryside there were “rays of sun” but in the moor it states “fading light”. These many comparisons show that the passengers would rather be in the countryside. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses anthropomorphism to help the reader understand the emotions of the characters. Fading light represents Sherlock Holmes opinion on the case, as it seems to get more difficult.
As the atmosphere gets worse through the chapter it leads the reader to believe that things will only get worse when arriving at Baskerville Hall. As the atmosphere now is dark and gloomy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses this to make the reader interested and read on. The reader needs to get to a safe place and is encouraged to read on hoping for a return to normality.
In conclusion the general feeling toward Baskerville Hall is that it is evil, and this shows that evil deeds will befall the three passengers. As it states “difficult and dangerous”, this leads us to believe that the curse will take a while to solve. “Dangerous” shows us that there will be consequences and the evil tone suggests it will involve the hound. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses atmosphere to show true feelings of the area where Sherlock Holmes is situated.
In chapter two presents and with a manuscript which the always observant Sherlock Holmes had already noticed and dated as 1730. The document shows the curse of Baskerville Hall, and reveals the terror of Baskerville Hall expressed by the atmosphere in chapter six. “At the time of the "Great Revolution," Mortimer reads, Baskerville lorded over the Baskerville mansion in Devonshire. Sex crazed and lecherous, the infamous Hugo became obsessed with a local yeoman's daughter, whom he kidnapped one day. Trapped in an upstairs room, hearing the raucous drinking and carousing going on downstairs, the girl escaped with the help of an ivy-covered wall. She fled across the expansive moorlands outside. Enraged at finding that his captive escaped, Hugo made a deal with the devil and released his hounds in pursuit of the young girl.” This explains to us why the curse was placed upon the family.
By Laurence Jackson
