How do Dickens and W .W. Jacobs create dramatic tension in their short stories the signalman and the monkeys paw?

Another technique both writer use is the credibility of threat. This is where the writers make the threat and tension in the story sound believable. This makes the reader think that what has just happened to the characters is scary and could happen to them. This is used very well in the signalman where the train crashes and people are run over. This actually could and did happen in those times and shows a flaw in the latest technology proving that nothing is safe. Both stories also have a three fold structure. This also helps create tension because the first two events build up to the final event and you know that it is going to happen but you don’t know how or when. The three fold structure in the  monkeys paw consists of consists of the receiving of the paw and the first wish, the death of the son, and the second and third wishes which cause a lot of tension and hesitation.

Both writers use the setting of their stories as another way of creating tension. They make the surroundings seem scary and tense but also familiar to the audience. In the monkeys paw there are only two houses let out on the street which creates a sense of loneliness and makes the hose seem far away from other people. The writer also makes the weather terrible which makes the story scarier by setting a bad mood. Another example of where this is well used is in the signalman. The signalman’s box is inside a valley far away from people. This creates tension because it makes the signal man seen lonely and that there is nobody about, so when somebody or something turns up it is more scarier than it normally would be.

There is a lot of character conflict in both short stories. This creates a lot of tension because it makes the characters seem uncomfortable and makes them hesitate which has the same effect in the reader.a good example of character conflict is that battle between Mr & Mrs white near the end of the monkeys paw. This shows the two characters fighting to get there son back and Mr white realising that there had to be something wrong and desperately searching for the paw and Mrs white trying to get the door open to let her son in. this makes people scared but exited because they wonder who will win and get what they want to do what they have to do. This makes a great battle at the end of the story and causes a lot of tension because you don’t know what is going to happen next and how the story is going to end. Milder conflict is also shown in  the signalman where the signalman and the person he is talking to are arguing about whether he did actually see a ghost or it was just his misunderstanding. This also created a lot of tension not just between the characters but to the reader as well because they started doubting if there actually was a ghost or if the signalman was going crazy.

There are also some supernatural thing that happen in the stories which create tension and suspense. Things like the paw twisting in mr whites hand and the spectre appearing. This makes the stories more exiting and thrilling. This can create more tension and challenge you scientific beliefs like that ghosts don’t exist. This makes the unsure that the story is true but still scared that all of this is happening. If this technique is used well with other techniques such as credibility of threat it will create a lot of tension. This is well used in the monkeys paw where just a normal family is receive a paw and it grants all of their wishes.

All of these techniques help the writers create a lot of tension in their short stories which makes the stories what they are and make the exiting and fun to read for their intended Victorian audience. I think the most useful and effective technique in both stories id the credibility of characters. I think this because it makes people realise that the characters are just like them. Also it helps the audience relate to the characters and makes all of the happenings seem real.