Than man with the shade is also described by his eyes : 'small and bright and inflamed,' which, like the older woman, makes the reader see him as deranged and evil when they're described as 'red'.
The man with the withered arm gives the man with the shade a 'short glance of positive dislike' which makes the reader sense the lack of hospitality and how unpleasant the atmosphere in the room is. This is also achieved by the author writing, in relation to the man with the shade, how his body and movements are bizarrely reflected with the lighting, 'a monstrous shadow of him crouched upon the wall and mocked his action'.
The protagonist takes a dislike to them as he describes them as 'droning', as if they bored him and 'grotesque' as they repulsed him and he despised them.
These anonymous characters have been used, I think, to add a frightening introduction to the story, and to add a tense atmosphere which will follow the protagonist and the reader throughout the story.
The castle in which the story takes place is described as 'deserted' and 'draughty', these adjectives give the illusion of space and vastness whilst still keeping a sense of spookiness about the setting.
Whilst, embarking towards the 'red room', the young man encounters a statue, the classic 'Ganymede and Eagle'. Its shadow, like the one of the man with the patch, startled the man, following to scare the reader. The author has included this to build further tension leading to the middle of the story, where the real drama takes place.
The red room is described very much in context to its' lighting. 'Sombre', 'shadowy', 'black', 'red' and 'dark' are all adjectives used to illustrate the red room. The colours used are ones that signify the devil (red), evil (black) and death (red and black). 'Sombre' and 'shadowy' imply that not everything in the room could be seen which leads the reader to be scared for the man. Mirrors are also used to describe the room and add a scary factor to the story as the character could easily get confused and not know what is real and what is reflected.
As the young man makes his way towards the 'haunted' room he reminds himself that 'the duke begun his dying' where he was standing, this is said in relation to past happenings which've occurred there. This technique is used to add further tension and make the reader realise, that like the duke, something could happen to the young man. This intrigues the reader and urges further reading of the book.
When in the 'Red Room' , the young man lights several candles to brighten the room, yet as time progresses they, or what the man believes to be the ghost, keep on flickering and vanishing as the man tries to keep lighting the extinguished candles.
These events are used to make the protagonist, therefore making the reader as well, feel insecure and uncertain concerning the situation. This is because the candles and the rooms' lighting is playing a game with the protagonist's mind, it's a game that is unfair and in which the protagonist will never win. The man is insecure as he is on his own and says, to himself: 'odd!', 'this won't do' and 'steady on' to confront and persuade himself he's not on his own and is not scared. In the end his own fear, created by his uncertainty and nervousness, makes him faint.
The sentence construction is appropriate for this gothic story. Sentences which require description and detail are sufficiently long and clear. When the protagonist is in the 'Red Room' and scaring himself, the author uses punctuation to create short, quick movements and sounds that the young man makes and an upbeat pace which keeps the reader reading, intrigued. This technique is used in parts of the story that involve fear and tension. Its effect on the reader is to appoint his attention and make him feel insecure which will lead to them being scared.
As the young man falls to the floor and 'remembers no more', the paragraph ends. The next paragraph is used in contrast to the last. Words like 'frantic', 'struggle' and 'crying' in the first paragraph which are expressive and slightly violent are contrasted by 'space', 'recollect' and 'asked', which are tranquil, in the second paragraph.
There is a build up of anxiety and suddenly a sense of calm which could put the reader in a state of emotion and keep him intrigued and guessing to what is going to happen to the protagonist.
Repetition has been used. 'Tonight of all nights' and 'it's your own choosing', said by the old people to the young man, is emphasised to make the reader understand that what the young man is doing is frowned upon and dangerous.
The ending of the story is a "twisted" one and is surprising and unexpected. From what the reader has read throughout the story, which was very physical and suggestive, it comes as a shock to an ending which is psychological and mind provoking.
The story is based on an unexpected ending. Most of the story is a build up, and in some parts quite brutal and edgy, to a calm and philosophical/mind provoking ending. Characters, location and style of writing all lead the reader to believe that the protagonist is going to witness something terrible of aggression and violence yet, the end, comes as a relief as all unnatural events have been explained in a contradicting way.
I did enjoy the basic story, I thought it was original and the ending was excellent and surprising. Yet the style of the story, I did not enjoy. I thought the description of the setting and characters was disappointing and the language used wasn't always clear.
Although the story was a creative way to change the standard, normal plot of the typical scary story.