The signalman told the narrator how the spectre then returned for a second time “…standing at the door, looking towards the red light, and saw the spectre again” The signalman then told the narrator what the spectre did “It leaned against the soft of the light, with both hands before the face.” This shows that the spectre doesn’t want to hurt the signalman. The signalman then explains how the very same day a train went past and a young lady instantly died in one of the compartments “A beautiful young lady died instantaneously in one of the compartments.” This suggests that the ghost had something to do with the death of the woman because it was there the same day. The signalman then tells the narrator that the spectre appeared for a third time a week ago and the spectre keeps appearing at the danger light. When the spectre appears at the danger light the shouts “Below there! Look out! Look out!” This is why the signalman thought the narrator was a ghost because the narrator shouted ‘Halloa below there’ The spectre keeps ringing the signalman’s bell that is the reason he gets up and has a look even though it didn’t ring. As the spectre appears a third time the signalman dies “He was cut down by an engine sir. No man in England knew his work better.” This suggests that the spectre had something to do with the signalman’s death.
Another way writers create a gothic effect is through the characters of ‘The signalman’ who are the signalman, the narrator, the spectre and the people involved with the lady dying and the signalman’s death. This gives a gothic effect to the story because the spectre is a ghost so this acts as supernatural, the signalman is mysterious and spooky at the beginning of the story because Dickens describes him as foreshortened and shadowed “even though his figure was foreshortened and shadowed…” and the narrator is the normal person involved in all the mystery.
The narration for the signalman is in first person this gives a greater effect to the reader because it makes the reader know as much as the character knows. We also get told what the character is feeling for example the signalman is scared and confused because he doesn’t know what he saw. “No, I ran on into the tunnel, five hundred yards. I stopped, and held my lamp above my head, and saw the figures of the measured distance, and saw the wet stains stealing down the walls and trickling through the arch.” If this same quote were in third person narration it would not sound as good because it would use words like he so this would be like watching a film whereas in first person it sounds like you are actually there.
In conclusion ‘The signalman’ is a typical gothic story because it is set in an isolated place because it is set in the signalman’s box that is in the middle of nowhere, it contains a supernatural being the spectre, it has a dark and eerie setting and throughout the story there is a feeling of mystery.
The second gothic short story is ‘The Red Room’ written by H.G Wells. At the beginning of the story there are people talking in a room and they are talking about how long they have lived in their house and if it is haunted. There are the same three old people sitting in a room and the narrator comes into the room and they all discuss about whether or not he should go into the red room. “This night of all nights” said the old woman “you go alone.” This suggests that that night something was going to happen in that room and the three old people are scared of going in the room. The man with the shade explains how to get to the Red Room “You go along the passage for a bit.” Said he, “until you come to a door, and through that is a spiral staircase, and half way up that is a landing and another door covered with baize. Go through that and down a long corridor to the end, and the red room is on your left up the steps,” This whole quote especially the words ‘passage’ and ‘baize’ adds to the mystery to the story because the quote makes the house sound really big and it has an eerie and dark atmosphere.
The narrator exits the room and he went to the red room. The narrator tells us how the house is very old and how at that time the supernatural were creditable. “… and the deep stoned, old fashioned furniture of the housekeepers room… an age of omens and witches were creditable, and ghosts beyond denying.” This tells us by the word ‘ghosts’ that the house would be haunted. This adds to the setting and atmosphere by making the house sound eerie. The narrator described the ground staircase he also tells us how everything in their was in its place even the house was deserted eighteen months ago. “The effect was scarcely what I expected, for the moonlight, coming in by the great window on the ground staircase… There were candles in the sockets of the sconces, and whatever dust had gathered on the carpets” The narrator makes his way to the red room and he gets scared. The narrator enters the red room that the young duke had died in this may be the reason why it is haunted. The narrator starts to examine the room starting with the furniture, the windows, the chimney and the mirrors. The narrator started to light candles one by one and made a barricade from a table and armchairs the narrator then senses something in the shadows in the alcove at the end of the room. “… indefinable quality of a presence that odd suggestion of a lurking, living thing…” The word ‘lurking’ suggests that something supernatural is in the room and is afraid to show itself. Also the word ‘lurking’ suggests that the thing was in the shadows. This adds to the typical gothic genre because it tells us the room is dark with only a little light.
The narrator lit the candles so that every part of the room was light this might have been because the narrator was scared of the dark or that he felt a supernatural presence in the darkness so he feels more comfortable with the whole room lit. As the narrator did that the candles started to go out “There was no mistake about it. The flame vanished, as if the wicks had been suddenly nipped between a finger and thumb, leaving the wick neither glowing nor smoking but black.” This suggests that something supernatural like a ghost put the candles out. The narrator starts to get scared because all the candles are gradually going out faster than he can relight them. “… but for the steady process of extinction went on, and the shadows I feared and fought against returned, and crept in upon me…” This suggests that the shadow is his enemy and it is trying to hurt him. This adds to the setting and atmosphere by creating a dark and gloomy affect. As the narrator rushes to light the candles again he hits his leg on the furniture, falls over then as he begins to relight the candles again he gets knocked out. “… and was either struck or struck myself against some other bulky furniture.” This suggests that the darkness hit him. This is typical of the gothic genre because it tells us that the house is dark.
The narrator then wakes up by an old lady, the man with the shade and the man with the withered arm. They have a discussion about whether or not the red room is haunted but by this time the narrator is certain that it is fear what is haunting the room and what hit him over the head. “Fear! Fear that will not have light nor sound, that will not bear with reason, that defends and darkens and overwhelms. It followed me through the corridor, it fought against me in that room.” This tells us that fear is defending something and it followed the narrator. This is typical of the gothic genre because it is a mysterious ending to the story.
The characters from the ‘The Red Room’ are the narrator, the man with the shade, the old lady and the man with the withered arm. This gives a gothic effect to the story by describing them as old in the beginning of the story “I half suspected the old people were trying to enhance the spiritual terrors of their house with droning insistence.” The word old gives the effect that the three people have been around for a long time so they would know more about and seen more of the haunted red room.
The narration in ‘The Red Room’ is first person this gives a greater effect to the reader because it makes the reader know as much as the character does. We also get told what the character is thinking and feeling for example when the narrator is nervous “By this time I was in a considerable state of nervous tension…” but if the same quote was written in third person it would not give the same effect because it would use works like he so it would make us fell as if we were watching it whereas in first person it makes us feel that we are there.
In conclusion ‘The Red Room’ is of a gothic genre because it is set in a big old house with a eerie and dark setting also it contains ghosts and a supernatural element. The writer H.G Wells creates mystery of the red room by the old people talking at the beginning and the way to the room.
The third and final is ‘The Monkeys Paw’ written by W.W Jacobs. The story begins with a father and son playing chess together while a white haired old lady knitted in the same fire lit room. After the father and son finish their game of chess a Sergeant Major walked into the house. All of them started having a conversation and they get onto a topic of the monkeys paw it was a dried monkeys paw that would give three men three wishes. The father, Mr white finds out that people can get wishes from it because the sergeant major did so he takes it and wishes for two hundred pounds. The next day they gat a man knocking on their door to tell them that Herbert had been caught in some machinery and was dead. The man explained that the firm their son worked for was going to give them two hundred pounds because of his death. This is typical of the gothic genre because the story involves death and death leads to ghosts and the supernatural. That night the wife then asks the husband to use his second wish to wish that their son could be alive. Mr white went and got the monkey’s paw and made that wish. Then there was a knock at the door and Mrs white knew it was Herbert so she went to open the door but Mr white tried to stop her because he was scared. Mr White then made his final wish and when Mrs white opened the door nobody was there. This is typical of the gothic genre because it tells us there is a sense of fear between the husband and the dead son and there is mystery because we don’t find out who was at the door.
The narration in ‘The Monkeys Paw’ is third person. This is good because there is more than one character to focus on but it doesn’t tell us their thoughts and feelings.
The characters of ‘The Monkeys Paw’ are Mr White, Mrs White, Herbert, the sergeant major and the man who brings the message of the son’s death. These characters are of a gothic genre because Mr and Mrs white are very old with grey hair, the sergeant major is a mysterious man because the reader doesn’t know much about him and Herbert dies so it brings the genre of death and ghosts into the story.
The setting and atmosphere of ‘The Monkeys Paw’ is of a gothic genre because the house is set in the middle of nowhere and it is lighted by candles and a log fire that will create dark shadows. “The candle end, which had burned below the rim of the china candlestick, was throwing pulsating shadows on the ceiling and wall…” This quote is typical of the gothic genre because it tells us that the house is shadowed and it is candle lit so it will cause areas of the house to remain in darkness.
In conclusion ‘The Monkeys Paw’ is typical of the gothic genre because it does contain a sense of supernatural because the paw grants wishes and it made the son come alive again so this is also suggests ghosts. This can be also linked to the mystery of the paw and the thing at the door.
