It is described as a ‘Great dungeon’ with a ‘deadly smell’. This tells me that it would not be a comfortable and rewarding place to work. When the narrator is down the cutting the opening of the tunnel is described as an ‘Entrance to a black tunnel’. This suggests that it is the entrance to the tunnel of death. This becomes true as the story unravels.
The air is then described as ‘Barbarous, Depressing an Forbidding’. This gives the reader a picture of a savage and uncivilised place. This point is later backed up.
‘A vague vibration in the earth and air’ then ‘ a violent pulsation’ and an ‘oncoming rush and vapour’. This caption suggests that the effect of the train is that of an earth-shaking monster. The trains’ steam can be seen as smoke from its mouth. The word ‘violent’ hints at a hostile creature.
As the narrator descends he describes the stone as ‘clammy… that became oozier and wetter as it went down’. Here the writer uses thermal and tactile images creating an unpleasant impression when read.
‘A rough zigzagged descending path … cutting was extremely deep and usually precipitous’. This helps us to imagine it to be very dangerous and as if he was leaving the natural world.
The first time that the narrator makes contact with the signalman is when he shouts ‘Halloa! Bellow There!’. The narrator is shocked that the signalman didn’t look up to him straight away. Instead he looks down the line towards the red light. These makes the narrators suspicious and later ask questions about his actions. The reader now questions everything that happens in the story, and straight away creates an eerie atmosphere on the cutting.
As the story moves on we are gradually led to believe that the signalman’s state of mind is not in perfect condition. This is backed up when the narrator tells us that he keeps looking at the red light. ‘Curious look towards the red light’.
Through out whole story the signalman’s actions slowly bring us to the conclusion that there is something supernatural going on. When he tells us about the ghost the narrator talks like the signalman is mentally ill. This is because the signalman suddenly here’s a bell ring when everything is quiet. It seems this way until the narrator sees the ghost for himself. Even then there are still questions over the signalman’s state of mind.
As soon as the story starts we are told about there being an ‘Angry Sunset’. This straight away tells us that it is a ghost story and that something bad will happen.
On page 106 the narrator says ‘left the natural world’ this tells the reader that there is a sense of supernatural goings on in the cutting. In my opinion this sets the story up, as the rest describes a place, which seems to represent hell.
In the story the signalman says ‘memorable accident’. This says to me that he can remember a bad accident and it is still vivid in his mind. It also gives an impression that an accident will happen in the future that he will never forget.
I have come to the conclusion that Charles Dickens creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in the signalman by describing setting, characters and imagery-literary techniques. These all form a part in making the signalman into a mysterious and ghostly story.
