were connected by a net- work of narrow, dark and crooked lanes where everyone
apparently containing some headquarters of infamy. It is not surprising then that Jack
the Ripper was able to escape and the cime rate was overly high. The police were
criticised heavily by the public for their inefficiency and incompetence in not capturing
the Ripper. With this in mind, Conan Doyle created an amateur detective with
excellent deduction methods who solved complicated cases for the incompetent police.
The East End of London during that period was an hostile environment, densely
polluted by smoke from factory chimneys and full of slum housings where workers
lived. Diseases spread quickly and because medicines were not so advanced, doctors
prescribed opium-based laudanum only to thse who could afford it. This is why addicts
in The Bar of Gold were upper class gentlemen. And so, Conan Doyle created his
setting atmosphere to contemplate the social events of the time.
'The Red Room' written by H.G. Wells in 1894 centres on Gothic themes: the
supernatural and the quintessence of fear. Its purpose was to terrify the reader and to
put emphasis on mystery and horror. Gothic literature spanned the eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries and its main features were witchcraft, curses, hidden rooms
especially in derelict and eerie castles or abbeys, and the ones Wells used particularly
were grotesque characters, Lorraine Castle, haunted rooms, ghosts, superstition,
previous deaths and curses. The story was also the most recent of all three stories
however Wells had choosen not to reflect in the setting the time it was written in. He
had done this in order to explore the ageless nature of fear and convey in his contents
a timeless quality. The description of his setting was one that was old-fashioned and
ancient. The tale is atavistic similar to other Gothic literature (Wells had actually used
the word 'atavistic' in the story) as it made very little references to the period of the
1890's. Therefore, because of the heavy influence of Gothic literary traditions, Wells
in 'The Red Room', had purposely been elusive about its precise time and location.
There are many features in 'The Signalman' which Dickens used to
make his railway setting menacing and omnious. It begins with the narrator calling out
to the signalman: "Halloa! Below there!". Although the importance of this calling is
unclear at first, later on in the story it has a supernatural significance. The ghost who
haunted the signalman is known to called out "Halloa! Below there!". This element of
supernatural happenings conveys an unsettling and discomforting ambience. Dickens
used many other techniques to create the same effect, such as the contrast of light and
darkness. At the beginning of the story the narrator is 'steeped in the glow of an angry
sunset'.It distinguishes a distinction between the red sunset at the top of the cutting
and the darkness in the trench below. The sunset is personified as 'angry' and this
introduces a sense of foreboding and apprehension to the story as it is not a calm and
peaceful sunset. Suddenly, there is 'a vague vibration in the earth and air' then 'a
violent pulsation' and an 'oncoming rush' and 'vapour'. This is the effects of the train
and it suggest that it is like an earth-shaking monster. The 'vapour' is the train's steam
and 'violent' hints of a hostile creature, creating a frightening air.
Dickens then applied an element of peril when the narrator looks down upon 'a
rough descending path', in order to emphasise on the steepness of his decent, leaving
the natural world far above. Next the narrator described the 'cutting was extremely
deep and unusually precipitous' and as he descends 'through clammy stone that
became oozier and wetter as I went down'. Dickens put in the element of descent into
the significant place and also enhanced the menacing atmosphere by using sensory
descriptions. As well as this it is written in first person narrative so that the reader
could relate to the narrator's experience. Once the narrator has desended, he
describes the railway 'as soli- tary and dismal a place as I ever saw' revealing a
remote and despondent surrounding. Dickens further applied sensory descriptions to
evoke a disturbing milieu when the narrator sees 'a dripping wet wall of jagged stone,
excluding all but a strip of sky' on one side of the railway. Dampness, cold and
unpleasantness are conveyed in 'dripping' and 'wet', whereas 'jagged stone' implies the
danger in the area as the stone is sharp. In this perspective there is a 'crooked
prolongation of this great dungeon' and this adds to the powerful sense of
imprisonment and mystery. The emphasis on light and
dark is shown in the other direction of the railway where there is 'a gloomy red light
and the gloomier entrance to a black tunnel'. Dickens used an oxymoron in 'gloomy
red light' - 'red' and 'light' are usually bright and vibrant colours and to be described as
'gloomy' creates an omnious and depressing mood. This is built up in 'the gloomier
entrance to a black tunnel'. Oppressive imagery is introduced in 'a barbarous,
depressing and forbidding air'. The fact that the air was being personified in this way is
so that Dickens could make a more realistic impact on the reader and that the
atmosphere is more frightening and menacing. There is also 'so little sunlight' that 'it
had an earthly, deadly smell'. This is further usage of light/darkness and senses.
Dickens use the words 'earthly' and 'deadly' because it is linked with death and decay,
giving a repugnant atmosphere. The narrator then feels the 'cold wind rushed through,
that it struck chill to me'. Again, because it is in first person narrative, it is as if we
could also feel the cold wind rushed through and that it has also struck a chill to us.
Because of the spookyness of the railway, the narrator felt ' as if I had left the natural
world', the similie used here helps to convey that supernatural forces have power over
the setting. The signalbox was described as 'a lonesome post' giving a full extent of
how isolated the place was.
'The Man With the Twisted Lip', unlike 'The Signalman' has a clear and
identifiable geography of where the place is. Conan Doyle had choosen his setting in
'Upper Swandam Lane', which is described as 'a vile alley lurking behind the high
wharves'. Already a negative and repugnant atmosphere is conveyed and there is
something of a sinister nature in the way the alley is 'lurking behind'. There is 'a steep
flight of steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave' which introduces
an element of descent to a significant place. In many ways the description is similar to
Dickens's as the descent is also 'steep' to emphasis the contrast between the world
above and the sinister place in which the narrator is about to go down. There is also the
colour 'black', associated with mystery and evil, and also 'mouth of a cave' seemed to
liken the gap as a mouth of a huge monster. Conan Doyle use this to establish fear in
the reader and to give an omnious feel as to what would happen next. As the narrator,
Dr. Watson, passed down, he gives details on the steps which were 'worn hollow' by the
'ceaseless tread of drunken feet'. It is written in first person narrative, just as in 'The
Signalman', so the reader could relate to Watson's experience. It is as if we too are
observing the steps as he descends. It is unlike 'The Signalman' however because the
descent was wet and precipitous. Here it is 'worn hollow' which applies that this is a run
down place and the fact that feet was personified as 'drunken' gives the idea that the
people who dwell there are manic and disturbed.
The narrator continues to make his
way 'by the light of a flickering oil lamp'. The light therefore is not constant and so
there is a sense of eerieness in the atmosphere. When he has made his way into the
main location, the air was 'thick and heavy with the brown opium smoke'. Dickens had
also used oppressive imagery to make the reader feel weighed down upon. However
here it is with 'brown opium smoke' so the air he is breathing in is unnatural and
discomforting. The narrator sees 'through the gloom ... dimly ... a glimpse of bodies
lying in strange, fantastic poses'. Like Dickens, Conan Doyle had used the word
'gloom' to build a depressing atmosphere. However, unlike Dickens, he has put people
in his setting, ones with 'bowed shoulders, bent knees, heads thrown back and chins
pointing upwards'. There is something deranged and disturbing in their pose that the
reader becomes frightened by. It is as if they are possessed. They also have 'dark,
lack-lustre eyes', which gives the impression that they are not normal and in a rather
strange state. Conan Doyle continues to uses light and darkness to maintain a
unsettling atmosphere. The narrators describes 'out of the black shadows there
glimmered little red circles of light' which gives images of hell. This is similar to
Dickens's way of describing his settings, they both used 'red' and 'light' as it signifies
danger. The people in the opium den spoke in 'a strange, low, monotonous
voice'. It gives a sense of moodiness in the atmosphere and oddness as they are not
speaking in a normal way - 'their conversation coming in gushes ... then suddenly
tailing off into silence'. The effects of the opium has obviously affected the way they
are and their minds are elsewhere. The narrator had to held his breath 'to keep out the
vile stupefying fumes of the drug', the senses of smell help to create a realistic setting.
When Dr. Watson had left the opium den with his friend Sherlock Holmes, they rode
on a carriage 'through the endless succession of sombre and deserted streets'. Even
when they are out of the opium den, the mood is still depressing. They rode pass a
bridge 'with the murky river flowing slugglishy beneath us'. The river here is 'murky'
shows the unpleasantness of the area and 'sluggish' suggest that it is slimy and
sickening. Throughout the story, there is no element of the supernatural, as ther is in
'The Signalman'.
H.G. Wells's 'The Red Room', like the other two stories, is written in
the first person narrative. This again helps the reader to understand what the narrator
is going through. It is similar to 'The Man With the Twisted Lip' as it includes
characters who are deformed or deranged in some way. The narrator at the beginning
of the story is talking with an old man with a 'withered arm', and an old woman with
'pale eyes wide open', this put emphasis on their odd and weird appearances. Then
there is the sense of sound: 'the door creaked on its hinges'. The use of onomatopeia
makes the sound more realistic to the reader. A second old man entered and he was
described as 'more bent, more wrinkled, more aged even than the first' and his lower
lip was 'half averted, hung pale and pink from his decaying yellow teeth', again there is
another deformed character. The room which they are gathered had 'deep toned, old
fashioned furniture' and 'sombre reds and blacks', which ensures a gloomy atmosphere
with a touch of Gothic imagery. The colours 'red' and 'black' were also used in the
other two stories. 'The conveniences of the room...were ghostly' enhances the spiritual
terrors of the atmosphere.
When the narrator bids his strange companions goodnight and
makes his way into the haunted room, he goes through a 'chilly, echoing passage'.
Although unlike 'The Signalman' and 'The Man With the Twisted Lip' there is no
element of descent, it is similar to both stories in the sense that there is an unsettling
atmosphere when the narrator makes his way into the main location. There is a
similarity in the fact that all the significant places in all three stories are located in the
underground or trench, the narrator here is walking in a 'subterranean passage'. All
three writers had done this as they were influenced by the idea that hell exists under
the ground. There is, comparable to Conan Doyle's story, the flickering of candles and
shadows: 'my candle flared and made the shadows cower and quiver'. There is
something frightening in the way the shadows move so which creates an eerie
ambience. From the window the moonlight 'picked out everything in vivid black shadow
or silvery illumination'. Moon comes from the latin word 'lunar', which is associated
with the word 'lunatic'. The words 'vivid black shadow' is an oxymoron and 'silvery
illumination' gives a ghostly effect. It is similar to 'The Signalman' because it use of
supernatural elements, but its way of portraying so are different. In 'The Signalman', a
real ghost actually appears but here there are no ghosts.
Unlike 'The Man
With the Twisted Lip' and 'The Signalman', there is no use of sensory descriptions in
'The Red Room'. The sinister atmosphere is potrayed in the location through the way
the numerous candles went out and the shadows room. As the narrrator looks about
'the large sombre room', he comments on 'its shadowy window bays, its recesses and
alcoves'. These contribute to the Gothic atmosphere. Then we here 'the shadow in the
alcove' had an 'undefinable quality of a presence'. We get the impression that it is
alive and so its 'presence' is frightening. Later when the narrator had lit more candles
in the room, after a while they began to go out on its own accord 'and the black shadow
sprang back to its place there' in the alcove. The use of light and shadow is similar to
Conan Doyle's setting, and the word 'sprang' gives the shadow something of a
menacing nature. The narrator turns and sees the darkness as he saw 'the unexpected
presence of a stranger'. Again 'presence' is used and the is linked with ghost and
spirits. It also enhances the eerieness of the room. The shadow seems to have a well of
its own, it took 'another step towards me', it is as if it is about to overtake him. The
candles continue to go out like 'a volley', which emphasis the quickness it has done so
without his control. The narrator turns to the fire, where it was 'splashing red
reflections upon the furniture' giving the impression of blood stains. In a way the
darkness is oppressing him - 'ponderous blackness' which is weighing him down.
However in the other two stories, oppressive imagery is used through describing the
air.
As we have analysized above there are comparables and contrasts in the
settings which the writers has choosen in 'The Signalman', 'The Man With the Twisted
Lip' and 'the Red Room'. They have, undeniably, all used many techiques to ensure
that the settings are unearthly, discomforting and disturbing to the reader. Because all
three stories wre written in the Victorian times, there were either some references to
the social events of the time or influences from Gothic literature which spanned the
century before. In 'The Signalman', Charles Dickens made use mostly the elements of
the supernatural to establish a spooky and ominious atmosphere. Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle in 'The Man With the Twisted Lip' made most use of oppressive imagery
shadows/ flickering candles. Whereas in 'The Red Room' by H.G. Wells, the negative
atmosphere is conveyed mostly through description of light and shadows in the room.
All three writers has successfully developed tension within the reader. This is done
through the instilment of fear - 'the worst of all things that haunt poor mortal man'.
