This essay will be based on gothic techniques that H.G Wells used and will also explain how gothic features can be identified

The Red Room

H.G Wells

This essay will be based on gothic techniques that H.G Wells used and will also explain how gothic features can be identified in a play. The gothic elements in ‘The Red Room’ are used frequently but often in a very subtle way.

One key gothic element of the story lies in the way Wells wrote. Firstly his style is old- fashioned and formal, for example he uses phrases such as, ‘eight and twenty years,’ this technique suggests that the play was written at the start of the nineteenth century. His word order also contributes to the dating of the play, for instance, ‘said I,’ is used recurrently and was very common in the nineteenth century. Another example of Wells’ gothic style resides in the descriptive language he used to depict characters and settings, towards the start of the passage he introduces the residents of the castle and uses description to identify them as, ‘the man with the withered arm,’ and, ‘the man with the shade.’ Not only does it help the reader to visualise the characters, but it also leaves an element of mystery around who the character really is. Through the imagery the reader is given they can make judgements about personalities and make assumptions about the importance of the individual. Because Wells writes in the first person the description is more effective as the reader feels that they are in the mind of the narrator and are experiencing things at the same time as the narrator. This causes great tension because the reader is feeling the same emotions as the narrator.

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The story is portrayed as gothic from the very start of the extract, in the very first line ghosts are mentioned and then three very unnatural residents are introduced. These main aspects indicate a gothic piece of writing almost before the end of the first paragraph. Because of the era that the story was written in the reader gets a good idea of how the characters should behave, so to see three very old, bizarre people would have been a rare occurrence in itself. Wells goes even further to describe them as, ‘grotesque custodians.’ Their role in the story seems to involve stalling the main character and warning him against venturing into the red room. The old woman seems to be the most warning as she says, ‘There’s a many thing to see, when ones still but eight and twenty,’ and then, ‘A many things to sorrow for.’ The man with the withered arm also cuts in with remarks like, ‘It’s your own choosing,’ perhaps signifying that he will take no responsibility for the actions of the narrator. This also implies further that the narrator is in fact young and arrogant. He says that in his twenty-eight years he has never seen a ghost, and generally goes about the whole situation in a very cocky way. He is positive that he will spend the night in the red room, against the advice of the residents of the house, and be fine.

Not only does Wells’ descriptive technique produce clear images, it also helps the reader connect with character. His use of similes, metaphors and personification means that the reader can connect the trauma the narrator is going through with something they can relate to therefore the story could be very far fetched but the reader can still connect to it.

The structure of the story also contains gothic traits, for example all the characters seem to be uncomfortable with the situation they are in and seem to be worried about the particular day on which the story is set. The old woman keeps on saying, ‘this night of all nights,’ hinting that that night was pertinent for some reason.

The room itself is not talked about in an overly direct way but is also left with mysterious facet around it until the story progresses. This detail seems to develop with the narrator’s impatience: the more agitated he seems to get at the reluctance of the residents the more the information concerning the red room leaks out. In the first part of the extract we are told that the story involves ghosts and haunting but nothing more specific. This adds more tension as we are almost told a story line, but not quite, in effect Wells’ is leaving the reader to guess at the plot. When the room is mentioned that part of the suspense is realised and the reader understands more. Before the room is properly mentioned the narrator is starting to write how uncomfortable he feels and how irritated he is getting by their reluctance to take him to where he wants to go, however he says, ‘If you will show me to this room of yours, I will make myself comfortable here.’ It is at this point that the room itself is mentioned and the residents give way.

Once the narrator is in the red room his spirits change from positive to negative quite rapidly. On first looking around the room he seems to be scared by its darkness but then he lights all the candles and is reassured by the light. He even looks carefully around the room. However the candles start to go out and apprehension is restored again.

In the passage describing the narrators experience in the red room the tension gradually worsens, this increase starts gradually with the candles going out. At first the narrator blames himself for this, dismissing all implication of supernatural interference. Then, however, candles start to flick off one by one and panic starts to come through in the writing, until the narrator has convinced himself that something supernatural really is going on. To a person reading the story explanations could be given to some of the incidents but the narrator has lost all rationality. He proceeds to stagger around hitting things until he is hit on the head and falls to the floor. Wells implies that he has been hit on the head but a simple explanation could prove this wrong.

The story is mainly set at night, this again adds to the gothic theme in the play. However the story ends in the morning leaving a feeling of ease and relief after all the tension. It finishes the story in a positive way, but still leaves mystery.

In conclusion this essay shows many small techniques that Wells uses to convey the gothic side of the play but hides them to create subtly and tension.