Another technique that the author uses to build up suspense is the use of imagery. This can clearly be seen in ‘The Signalman’ when the tunnel is described to have a ‘barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air.’ The use of multiple emotive adjectives has the effect of expressing the suspense that the sentence provides. There is also a build up of tension by using a long sentence with plenty of description to reach the climax at the end. Additional imagery is furthermore used during this sentence. The ‘air’ is personified when it is called ‘forbidding’, thus creating the effect of it coming to life. In ‘The Red Room’ a larger amount of imagery is used to add to the tension of the overall story. One can see this when the author writes: ‘darkness closed upon me like the shutting of an eye’. This use of similes adds to the power that the darkness seems to possess creating the sense that it is unavoidable. Personification is also used numerous times throughout the text which gives the impression of objects coming to life, consequently making the situation seem more realistic. The phrase ‘flames were still dancing’ suggests that they have come to life. This adds to the atmosphere by giving the flames human attributes and qualities that they do not otherwise possess. Repetition also plays a large part in the text. The words ‘It’s your own choosing’ are repeated three times to create mystery and gain the emphasis that he can not blame anyone for his actions. This creates tension as the phrase and situation are not fully explained.
Building up fear is also another key element in ghost stories. In ‘The Red Room’ the narrator ‘stood rigid’ with fear as there was an ‘odd suggestion of a lurking, living thing’. Using the word ‘rigid’ emphasises the amount of fear he was feeling as his mind played tricks on him. The reader if affected by ‘lurking, living’ because the use of alliteration stresses the feeling of being watched and creates apprehension. However, he advanced ‘only to discover a Ganymede and Eagle’. The use of the word ‘only’ always relief to sweep in and portrays the narrator to having overreacted, which shows the amount of power and strength fear seems to possess. Yet, it also shows that even the smallest of things can play a large part in building up fear. ‘The Signalman’ uses slightly different techniques to get the desired effect of creating fear. The use of questions and short, clipped sentences: ‘What’s wrong? What has happened? Where?’, has the effect of producing panic and showing ambiguity. Also, information is withheld from the reader while the signalman describes his frightening experience. The word ‘it’ is used continually through one of his speeches when the spectre is being depicted. This is because it is unsure what it exactly is so it has to be given a neutral gender. However, the word ‘it’ is repeated five times which shows that it has a large impact on him and he can not escape from being haunted! Dickens, however, does also use appeal to the senses to add fear to the text. For example, he writes: ‘the slow touch of a frozen finger tracing down my spine’. This whole phrase adds a chill to the air and shows fear and vulnerability at its most. Alliteration is used on ‘frozen finger’ to stress the amount of cold fear that is being felt.
Another characteristic of a nineteenth century ghost story is the supernatural. Throughout both ‘The Signalman’ and ‘The Red Room’ the supernatural is mentioned continuously. The use of the supernatural is one technique that the author uses to create suspense as it raises the question of the paranormal. As the narrator enters the entrance of the tunnel in ‘The Signalman’ it ‘struck chill to [him], as if [he] had left the natural world.’ This emphasises the uncertainty and doubt experienced to whether or not the supernatural exists. Also, when the narrator looks at the signal man he gets the sensation that ‘this was a spirit, not a man.’ This addresses the point that there are ghosts, and that this signalman did not seem to be completely real, but more of a ‘spirit’. In ‘The Red Room’ it is mentioned that in ‘an older age…omens and witches [and] ghosts’ are declared to be ‘credible [and] beyond denying’. This emphasises the nature of the paranormal, and creates doubt and fear in the mind. The use of the word ‘haunted’ suggests ghosts and other supernatural things. This will make the reader expect strange and alarming situations to occur, thus creating suspense.
A technique that leads on from the supernatural is having a believer and non-believer in the paranormal knowledge. Both texts use this method and both also have the narrator as the non-believer suggesting that the believer could be mad. In ‘The Signalman’ imagination is shown when the signalman ‘turned his face towards the little bell which did NOT ring’. This could suggest madness as he is hearing noises that the narrator failed to hear. The narrator also tries to be rational in all situations, even when he is hearing about the spectre that has repeatedly appeared. He shows how the ‘figure must be a deception of his sense of sight’ and then backs up this statement with a reasonable amount of scientific knowledge, which makes him sound more believable. He also dismisses the ‘imaginary cry’ as ‘the wind in this unnatural valley’. However, as time passes the narrator seems to believe more and more in the supernatural. His ‘mouth was very dry’ and he ‘involuntarily pushed [his] chair back’, which shows his increasing belief and fear of the paranormal. At the sudden end of the story, the narrator is shocked, but still tries to think rationally by saying that it was a ‘coincidence’. In ‘The Red Room’ the narrator is also a non-believer who is very sure of himself and is confident that ‘it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten [him]. He seems to be competing with three ‘old people’ who act strangely and are never given proper names. The use of three people gives the suggestion of the ‘Holy Trinity’. This shows that maybe they are just trying to keep the narrator protected, but ultimately can not stop him, as it is ‘his own choosing’. However, the actions of the old people give the sense that they are mad. The old woman does not take her eyes off the fire, but instead just repeats herself saying: ‘This night of all nights!’ By the end of the text however, the narrator himself has ‘met fear’ and has changed his perspective of the situation. This affects the reader greatly because at the beginning of the story the narrator was a very believable, rational man that could reason with any situation. However, after his experience in ‘The Red Room’ his perception of the supernatural is altered. He becomes a believer as he has experienced it first hand. The fact that he was such a firm unbeliever at the start, but then managed to change convinces the reader more effectively that the supernatural exists.
The last ghost story technique that will be discussed is the use of isolation in the setting. Being lonely and isolated could lead to madness and fear. In both texts there are a minimal number of characters involved. In ‘The Red Room’ the narrator is with the three old people who live on their own, but then proceeds to spend the night alone and in isolation from the rest of the house as he decides to enter ‘The Red Room’. This separation from the world automatically creates an involuntary sense of fear and insecurity. The narrator found the ‘remoter darkness of the place, and its perfect stillness, too stimulating for the imagination.’ This proves that under tense and lonely circumstances the silence can become unnerving, which, if left long enough, could result in madness. This madness can be seen to be suggested in ‘The Signalman’. The signalman himself, had been a high educated young man, who was well brought up, but then had ‘run wild, misused his opportunities [and] gone down’. The narrator thought him too educated to have his current job, and suggested that he go see ‘the wisest medical practitioner’. It is suggested throughout the text that the isolation has affected the signalman and brought around his madness. This has the effect of making his story seem a little unbelievable, although having his background given reassures us of his intellect.
After looking at certain aspects of a nineteenth century ghost, it is able to be concluded, that ‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens is less of a ghost story compared to ‘The Red Room’ by H.G. Wells. Imagery and the stereotypical aspects play an important part in creating the fear and suspense of a ghost story. ‘The Signalman’ seems to be short of the stereotypical features, such as candlelight, sounds and shadows, which ‘The Red Room’ portrays brilliantly. It is full of the emotive language that builds up the ultimate ghost story, and although ‘The Signalman’ is disturbing, it lacks the qualities that are needed. This makes ‘The Red Room’ a much more successful ghost story than ‘The Signalman’.
