The supernatural has existed as long as human life.
Supernatural coursework Introduction.The supernatural has existed as long as human life. As soon as there was an awareness of the normal, people started questioning or imagining things that could not be explained by natural laws. Subjects such as death and how it cannot be controlled or the idea of creations turning against their maker have long been central to supernatural literature. Interest in the supernatural perhaps comes from people's natural excitement and suspense for things out of the ordinary. People both enjoy playing with their fears and trying to come to terms with and understand them through investigating supernatural issues.The Monkey's Paw written in the late 19th century by W.W.Jacobs reflects the Victorian's massive interest in the occult. The early 20th century, in which The Vampire of Kaldenstein by Frederick Cowles, was written, witnessed a wavering of established belief in Christianity in the West and the hideous World War, which might account for a continued interest in the supernatural. So the authors of the short stories responded to popular demand and created stories which manipulated reader's emotions and added dramatic drive.The supernatural theme in both stories plays an important part in creating suspense. In The Monkey's Paw hints are made throughout the story, thus "its just a bit of what you might call magic" is how the sergeant major describes the monkey's paw at the beginning of the tale. The supernatural theme is raised, with another theme such as coincidence but it doesn't embody the whole story. However, The Vampire of Kaldenstein relies more heavily on the power of the
supernatural throughout the story, it being based on the directions of the vampire. In both, the supernatural creates the sense of mystery through the author's use of pathetic fallacy, creation of mood, dialogue and suspension of disbelief. Cowles uses pathetic fallacy to increase a sense of danger in his description of the storm, so that when the hero is told that he can not leave the castle "a flash of vivid lightning split the clouds… and a great wind howled across the mountains" The word "howl" repeats the "howl" given by the count at the sight of blood and links ...
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supernatural throughout the story, it being based on the directions of the vampire. In both, the supernatural creates the sense of mystery through the author's use of pathetic fallacy, creation of mood, dialogue and suspension of disbelief. Cowles uses pathetic fallacy to increase a sense of danger in his description of the storm, so that when the hero is told that he can not leave the castle "a flash of vivid lightning split the clouds… and a great wind howled across the mountains" The word "howl" repeats the "howl" given by the count at the sight of blood and links him eerily with the storm.One of the most powerful uses of pathetic fallacy in The Monkey's Paw is at the end of the story where we are told "a cold wind rushed up the staircase (and) the street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road", which reflects the moment where the dead son disappears. The flickering light might symbolise the escapes from the horror of seeing the monstrous creature that would have been standing there. But the deserted road reflects the mother's disappointment. The monkey's paw is from India, which at that time was exotic, mysterious and magical. The mysteriousness associated with it, makes the tale more exciting for the reader. The paw is an omen and the readers want to know and understand more about the magical powers of the paw. The monkey's paw is the focus of the supernatural in the story, its magical powers engage the reader who wants to find out what happens after the man has made his three wishes on the paw, and witnessed his disbelief when his wishes come true. The paw is dangerous and once used can change the path of destiny forever. Jacobs is stressing the importance that one should not try to change destiny and the world should be as God wishes it. The idea of human beings trying to change the path of destiny is portrayed in a game of chess that is played by the father Mr White and his son Herbert that reveals "radical changes". Throughout the whole story there are hints telling us that we shouldn't play with fate. "Fate rules peoples lives". Here the supernatural represents an evil force. In his desire not to meddle with his own destiny, the soldier takes advantage of Mr and Mrs White feverish intent in the magic of the monkey's paw and puts it within their reach. Even though he throws it into the fire he is well aware of Mr and Mrs White's fascination which the writer makes clear when he describes Mr White: 'with a slight cry {he} stooped down and snatched {the paw} off.' The desperation is shown in the 'cry' and also the word 'snatched.' The Vampire of Kaldenstein takes place in Germany, on a mysterious unidentified ground. "We're not marked on my map" is an eerie and scary sentence that creates eagerness in the reader to find out what happens and where the unheard of village is. This story is quite predictable, unlike The Monkey's Paw, as there are hints and warnings of what is going to happen later on in the story. Like the nightmarish vision the hero receives on his first night staying at the inn. Frederick Cowles creates a horrifyingly sinister mood through his repeated description of the moonlight: 'there by the window and black against the moonlight was the figure of a tall man.' The eerie sound of a 'muttered curse' and the fact that he 'cast no shadow' builds up to supernatural climax described in one, short, uncompromising sentence; 'the moonlight seemed to stream right through him.'He frequently chooses not to follow the warnings, which creates strong dramatic irony and increases the reader's suspense.The narrator does this so we can make up our own predictions as to what will happen. An example of this is when the boy stays at a little inn in the village, and the landlord tells the boy to close the window or else the vampire will come into the room "I beg you to close the window." The young man is stubborn and excited by what the landlord has said to him, so he leaves it open to find out if the legends were true.The language used in The Monkey's Paw is easy to understand, but it still builds up suspense and anxiety. It takes a long time to get to the climax of the story, which is the last event, but when that happens it has a big impact on the reader. Jacobs uses a variety of techniques to increase the dramatic effect of the moment when the White's dead son is about to be revealed to them as a result of their wish. He plays on our sense of sound; focusing on tiny noises through his use of onomatopoeia, like the 'ticking of the clock' the 'stair creaked' and most dramatically the 'knock so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible.' The burst of activity and noise from Mrs White contrasts strongly to this quiet suspense which creates enormous impact: 'she ran to the door' 'she screamed' and with 'a sudden wrench broke free and ran from the room.' The vivid onomatopoeia of the 'chain rattle' and the repetition of 'there was another knock and another' also increase the excitement.However, in The Vampire of kaldenstein Cowles language is not so straightforward. He uses a sense of humour and chattiness throughout "to cut a long story short". He uses many metaphors and more pathetic fallacy than The Monkey's Paw. The story is made more sinister since nothing happens until dusk falls and "shadows begin to form" creating yet again an eerie atmosphere and suspense. Cowles uses rhetorical questions " how shall I describe?" which helps the reader feel as if they are involved and as if the narrator is talking to them.The language in both the stories is what makes the stories so powerful. They use a lot of metaphors to build up the atmosphere and the structure of the tales, and help draw the readers in and get them involved in the story, e.g. the military metaphor used to describe the dead son's repeated knocking as he tries to get in to his parents, ' a perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house.' In The Monkey's Paw, it reminds us how hostile and terrifying is the figure of the dead son.Similarly Cowles creates mood through his choice of metaphors. When the hero visits the chapel in the castle we are told that the place 'stank like a charnel house.' The strong verb 'stank' and the grim sense of dead bodies swiftly create a horrifying atmosphere.In conclusion, after reading both the stories, I think that The Monkey's Paw portrays the supernatural better that The Vampire Of Kaldenstein. Cowles uses more of the supernatural as it embodies the whole story, but is more predictable. In The Monkey's Paw you cannot ultimately tell if the events in the story were caused by magic or just coincidence and it leaves you wondering. The Monkey's Paw is less conversational, is more descriptive and gives the reader a better overall picture of the scene. The supernatural is good in any story but The Monkey's Paw has an open ending which involves us with the story yet again because it brings you back to the theme of suspense and what is going to happen next.
