The ghost haunted room created the most tension, as this is where the young duke had died. The Narrator is aware of the circumstances that the duke died and is beginning to search the room “the legends that had sprouted in its black corners.”
The opening is significant as it shows how the story is structured to create and sustain suspense. The way the characters are portrayed at the beginning, gives an inkling of what the story is about, caretaker 1is described “the man with the withered arm” this implies the caretaker is noticeably disturbing. Caretaker 2 is described as an elderly man “more bent, more wrinkled, more aged even than the first”. The old woman “her pale eyes wide open” gives the impression that the lady is eerie.
The characters warnings about the red room “the likes of this house” and “this night of all nights!” tells the reader that there is something unusual about the house and that the red room is more than just a typical room.
The story is told in the first person, this has a superb effect especially when the narrator suffers vast discomfort. When the haunted room is mentioned, it engages interest with the readers. The narrator’s over-confidence introduces conflict with the other characters, as the narrator ignores the housekeeper’s warnings and believes that there is nothing more than myths in the red room.
When the narrator entered the ghost-haunted room he felt “considerable nervous tension” this changed to cheeriness when light was added to the room by seventeen candles. Panic started building with the candles going out, each attempt to keep the room well lit was met by a growing “engulfing darkness”. As darkness increased the narrator started to lose his nerve, additionally the language showed this and gave action and added tension for the reader “darkness closed upon me like the shutting of an eye”.
Darkness is contrasted by daylight at the end; this brings a content ending to a very mysterious story.
Setting is very important to the story; the red room has a typical classical setting for gothic and Victorian ghost stories. Gloominess suggested by cold and dark contribute to the atmosphere of oppression and neglect.
The language and style in the red room is typical Victorian. The language suggests atmosphere and is packed full of verbs which gives excitement to the action-packed scenes.
Atmosphere is suggested by structure and action but especially by the author’s choice of language. The vocabulary and imagery used, is a tremendous effect on creating the atmosphere, this is shown when the author is describing people with words such as “withered arm”, “pale eyes” and “monstrous shadow”.
The descriptions in the house, such as “queer old mirror” and “door creaked” along with the many repeated warnings “This night of all nights” and repeated references to the old people’s fear, darkness and shadows reminds the reader that this is not an ordinary house.
There are a lot of similes, metaphor and personification used for darkness and fear in the red room “fashions born in dead brain”, “little tongue of light”, “ocean of mystery” and “like a ragged storm cloud sweeping out the stars”.
I think darkness is the most important part of the red room, as darkness seems to be what the narrator is most scared from “closed upon me like the shutting of an eye”, “wrapped about me in a stifling embrace” and “sealed my vision”.
