Coursework Essay
Comparing The Superstitious Man’s Story
And The Call
I am comparing the two stories, The Superstitious Man written by Thomas Hardy and The Call written by Robert Westall.
The Superstitious Man’s story is narrated by a third person. We don’t actually find out much about the narrator because not much is mentioned. However in The Call the story is narrated by the rota-secretary of the local Samaritans.
Tension in The Superstitious Man is built up in many ways in the story, when Betty finishes her ironing she decides to go up to their chamber but to her great surprise, on reaching the foot the staircase she sees Williams boots, standing in the same place as they always stood, when he had gone to bed. Then going up the staircase and entering the chamber, she found William in bed sleeping as sound as a rock. By now Betty was confused and couldn’t quite work out what had gone off. She wonders now how William could have got back again with out her seeing or hearing him, this was beyond her comprehension. Further on in the story Betty, walking down Longpuddle Street met Jim Wardle’s daughter Nancy. As they were both talking Nancy started telling Betty about what she saw on midsummer’s Eve, when she went to church porch she told Betty that it is believed that the ghosts of the people entering the church and not returning are those who are going to die within the year. But those who enter and are seen returning are those who get over their illness. Betty finds out that it was William who Nancy saw going into the church and not returning and say’s “And he didn’t come out of church again: I knew it as well as you.” From what Betty say’s we can see that she isn’t really hurt or worried by what Nancy tells her. The tension builds up as you read the story and keeps you in suspense, it also gets you thinking about what could have happened.
