Continuing on from the mystery of the many indirect questions, Rhoda Brook’s queries of Gertrude Lodge, the new wife, amplify suspense in the story. Once more, the reader does not understand why these questions are asked, and therefore the imagination can run wild, producing possibilities, while the reader knows that he cannot be sure.
“Is she ladylike?
Is she young?” and when told Gertrude is short:
“’Ah!’ Said his mother, with satisfaction”
We learn from this extract that Gertrude is quite inquisitive of the appearance of Gertrude, such as how ‘young’ she is and if she has ‘ladylike’ manners, which leads the reader to perhaps suspect that she is jealous of the new bride, and is wondering what she is up against. This is further augmented by the ‘ah!’ of ‘satisfaction’ that is emitted from Rhoda at learning that she is taller than Gertrude. Now that the reader can assume that Gertrude is jealous of Gertrude, and is trying to find factors that are imperfect in her, more questions are AGAIN raised and developed: why is she jealous, what is her connection with the marriage AND the bride, and why is she so desperate to find imperfections in the bride? As stated in the previous paragraph, these questions create a sense of mystery and suspense at not knowing the answers.
From the two ladies’ visit to Trendle, the fortune-teller, and as a result of the outcome of his fortune in the smoke, a strong sense of suspense is created, as Gertrude is reluctant to admit that she saw Rhoda in the smoke, and Rhoda that she is the culprit, as they are now friends:
RHODA: “ ‘and what did you see?’
GERTRUDE: “‘Nothing I – care to speak of.’ … her face, was so rigid…”
Gertrude’s response to Rhoda’s question, in many ways, tells her the truth. Deep down, Rhoda understands that Gertrude has found out. This quietness between the two, and the blank answer, all add to the suspense of the scene, as neither is willing to say too much about what happened. Gertrude’s ‘rigid’ face betrays her emotions, telling Rhoda that she is sad, angry and committed to say as little as possible.
As elements of the supernatural entwine within the realistic storyline, fear and suspense are produced, creating a sense of reality in the supernatural elements.
“…the young wife … was sitting upon her chest as she lay.
‘that was not a dream – she was here!’
THE SON: ‘what was that noise in your chimmer, mother last night?’”
Here, the fear is spread through Rhoda’s experience, as she discovers that a figure looking much the same as Gertrude is ‘sitting upon her chest’. This seemingly supernatural and dreamlike thing is supposedly happening while Rhoda is awake. This ‘theory’ is further proved when the son asks Rhoda ‘what (was) that noise’ was – the reader, along with Rhoda, then knows that what happened is partially true, and something was in Rhoda’s room. Here, suspense is created as Brook tries to work out how this could happen, while the reader must wonder: why? How? Etc…
Hardy’s gothic imagery in his descriptions during the story creates a strong build up suspense, and up to a point, fear. He moulds the setting into a dark place and gives it a mysterious atmosphere:
“…the thatch … like a bone protruding through the skin”
Here, Hardy depicts a normal ‘thatch’ as a much more gothic and gory simile, like a fleshy wound. His description of the building creates a feeling of suspense by persuading the reader’s imagination to associate it to a ‘bone protruding through skin’, and assume that it must be in dark setting. His use of these descriptions gives an atmosphere of suspense, partly because as a reader we do not know why this is so, and because perhaps we WANT to know.
As it continues, new elements to the story evoke a feeling of suspense and fear in the reader. At first, one can see it emitted through the lack of facts, forcing the reader to guess what is happening and has previously occurred. Then, the reader begins to learn how the characters are connected, and this gives rise to more questions and unknown answers, all of which add to the suspense and mystery. As the reader starts to settle into the story, an element of the supernatural pierces the realistic storyline, and fear is emitted through the experiences of Rhoda Brook. While these all contribute to the suspense and fear of the story, Hardy’s use of gothic imagery to describe the setting play a vital role in the story, acting as the base to build up the feelings of suspense and fear that hardy has created through various means.
