The red room

The story is set in an old castle which is typical for stories in that time, the castle is full of long dark narrow cold passages, candle lit hallways and spiral staircases, the description of the castle helps to create tension throughout the story, “vivid black shadows”. The candle light and the moon light is the only source of light in the story which creates an atmosphere of ghosts. All the scenes from the story are set inside which creates a claustrophobic atmosphere which helps to create tension and suspense throughout the story. The journey to the red room is a very hellish journey, this is because of the way the narrator has described the castle, “the long, draughty, subterranean passage was chilly and dusty” and the build up of tension as he is travelling through the castle. In the red room itself the narrator does many different thinks to comfort him during his time in the red room like lighting all the candles in the room so no shadows are there, lighting the fire and even talking to himself, these method did not work because when he spoke to himself the echoes were not pleasant for him so he stopped “A few I spoke aloud, but the echoes were not pleasant.”  The narrator kept a revolver by his side ready to hand at all times to reassure himself that he was safe. Later on in the red room the narrator starts to feels better about being in the red room “very cheery and reassuring in these little streaming flames,” the narrator then uses metaphors to create tension and suspense by describing the wind like a ghost, “an invisible hand seemed to sweep out the two candles on the table.” By now the fear or the narrator is betting very bad as he is saying how he feels, “with a cry of terror, I dashed to the alcove,” the tension and suspense is also being built up very well now by the short snappy sentences that are being used, “with a cry of terror, I dashed to the alcove, then into the corner, and then into the window, relighting three,” he then starts to use similes to describe the atmosphere, “It was like a ragged stormcloud sweeping out the stars.” Again the narrator is saying how he is feeling, “I was now almost frantic with the horror of the oncoming darkness,” and “Screamed with all my might” which contributes to the tension and suspense throughout the red room.

The confidence of the narrator at the beginning of the story was very high and boastful, “it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me.” No matter what the old people said “this night” and “it’s your own choosing,” the narrator would always feels confident with himself. The tension throughout the story is gradually built up along with the fear of the narrator, e.g. at the beginning the narrator was very confident but throughout the story that fear builds up, “I must confess that the oddness of these three old pensioners… affected me” and then by the end the narrator is really scared, “screamed with all my might”. During the journey to the red room and in the red room itself the narrator does thinks to comfort him like talk to himself and by carrying a revolver. Although the narrator ends up in the same place as he was in the beginning at the end of the story his views are totally different, he sees the old people as different people, much kinder and nicer rather than withered old people like he did in the beginning.

The language used in the story is very typical for its time “eight-and-twenty years” the narrator uses lots of metaphors and similes during the story, “a shadow came sweeping up after me, and one fled before me into the darkness overhead” and “it was like a ragged storm cloud sweeping out the coming darkness” and “an invisible hand seemed to sweep out the to candles on the table” these are all describing the darkness light and wind in a descriptive way to help create tension.

By the ending of the story there is a big difference in the narrators thoughts and feelings, at the beginning he was very confident, “that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me” but slowly as the story went on he become more and more worried and scared about things happening around him, by the end he was frantic with horror, “screamed with all my might”. The narrator by the end has now got a more positive view towards the old people, “no longer abstracted” this is because they saved him.