In the opening of “Harry” a certain amount of tension is created because we are being immediately introduced to a portion of the protagonist’s psyche which deals with the aspect of fear; for the narrator states, “Such ordinary things make me afraid. Sunshine. Sharp shadows on grass. White roses. Children with red hair. And the name – Harry. Such ordinary things.” This creates a sense of mystery because the reader subconsciously questions why she is afraid of such “ordinary things”. The very concept of fear is mysterious because we all feel a sense of fear at some time or the other in our lives but the things that contribute to the feeling of fear is unique for each of us. With regard to the narrator, the very fact that such ordinary things contribute to her fear creates suspense. Within the opening lines the narrator also mentions that she felt a “premonition of fear” when her daughter first mentioned the name Harry. Tension is again created because the readers too become curious about the name Harry.
Similarly, in “The Superstitious Man’s Story” the opening also creates suspense around the main character, William. The opening lines of this short story introduce us to William. From the way in which he is described to be “a curious, silent man, you could feel when he came near ‘ee; and if he was in the house or anywhere behind your back without your seeing him, there seemed to be something clammy in the air, as if a cellar door was opened close by your elbow” by doing this it is almost as if the narrator is introducing us to a ghost-like character. Thus by analysing the opening lines of both short stories’ one can see that both authors are using conventions that constitute a ghost story. In “Harry” it is used to achieve a tension with regard to Harry and in “The Superstitious Man’s Story” it is used to create a feeling of suspense surrounding William.
“The Superstitious Man’s Story” is set in Wessex, like many of Hardy’s novels. The story moves around the town, from their home to a church and finally to the mill. This allows us to glimpse into rural life in the 19th century – a very different world from today. Thomas Hardy wrote with a specific purpose in mind. He wrote to record how the folklore and basic rural life was like, because he knew that with the rapid progression of industrialisation, social life would change and through his writing his aim was to preserve that. “Harry” is set in London in modern times. The story moves around many urban areas, including the house, a hospital and an adoption agency. One story is set in rural life, one in urban life, one in the nineteenth century and one in the twentieth, but they both deal with ghosts and this is still relevant in both eras.
Both stories have very different language styles, as we would expect with over fifty years separating their creation. Rosemary Timperley uses Standard English throughout her story. It is fairly uncomplicated and is clearly expressed to the reader. Her style is quite descriptive, for example, “golden shadows and long strips of sunshine in the garden.” She also includes personification, for example, “The sun struck me like a hot blade.” Also the repetition of the phrase “Harry. Such an ordinary name,” reiterates and emphasises her fear of Harry and the unknown. In contrast, Thomas Hardy uses Wessex dialect, the language of his era thereby bringing the reader to notice how the language has changed, for example, “you could feel when he came near ‘ee.” Through the use of the accent we can tell the story is quite an old one and enables us to appropriate the speech patterns of the local people at that time. The dialect and accent convey a sense of authenticity to the story that is specific to the time and place unlike “Harry” which is almost anonymous in its ‘universal’ language style. Rosemary Timperley creates a certain amount of tension in “Harry” by use of short and sharp sentences, for example, “Harry! Don’t take her away! Come back! Harry! Harry!” Rosemary Timperley also uses alliteration to enhance the readers’ imagination, for example, “Sunshine, Sharp shadows on grass”.
In “The Superstitious Man’s Story” Thomas Hardy creates tension by mentioning things related to superstition, for example the superstition surrounding the heavy bell, “the sexton, who told me o’t, said he’d not known the bell go so heavy in his hand for years and he feared this meant a death in the parish.” As it’s set on Midsummer’s Eve, the superstition is that whoever goes into the church will die within the next few days. This is the destiny of William. Tension is also built by the unknown whereabouts of William, his wife claiming he had left and hearing the footsteps on the stairs but him still being there. And so questions appear in the readers’ mind – they ask themselves what is happening and why and thus Hardy creates curiosity, mystery and tension for his audience. Tension is created through a different means in “Harry.” The exact time or place of a person’s death can make a symbolic significance. Rosemary Timperley uses the time convention of her ghost story to alarm Mrs. James when she hears the clock strike three she suddenly realises she needs to pick Christine up from school “A clock struck three. At three o’clock I was supposed to be at the school gates, waiting for Christine” this further intensifies fear for her and the reader, as it is Christine’s first day at school and we know by now that ‘Harry’ is not a benevolent ghost. The short panicked sentences used when she realises Christine maybe in danger creates tension too. Thomas Hardy used time to confuse Betty. She sees William leave, but when she goes upstairs she realises she had not seen him return. He also uses time when William is seen in two places at once. This is near the end and leaves the reader with an unfinished story and the option to wonder what else might happen. Time also proves that the sightings happen simultaneously. It gives proof that William was in fact a ghost.
In “The Superstitious Man’s Story” Thomas Hardy does not dwell on the passing of William because of the superstitions shared amongst the people seems to be that death is inevitable. This is because the story was written pre 1920’s. The inclusion of the superstition of Midsummer adds to the suspense of where William actually was on Midsummer night. The grieving within the story is when William goes out of his way to avoid the spring because this is where his son drowned – this shows that the theme of grief in ghost stories is prevalent, no matter when written, people will always grieve for loved ones who have died. Similarly in “Harry” when Mrs. James comes to the realisation that Christine has disappeared she feels grief, this emphasises her love for Christine and how a parent would grieve over a lost child. Grief is also the motivation for Harry’s haunting his sister.
Symbols are like signposts for the readers. This is because it makes you stop to think. In “Harry” the shadow of the white bushes symbolises the gap between life and death. Harry is within this gap and is desperate to resume his life with his sister or have his sister in death. Harry’s spirit is in purgatory because of the fact that he is so fraught to love his sister again. The white roses are used to symbolise Harry’s spirit because he died amongst white roses and whenever Christine saw Harry she was near a rose bush. Rosemary Timperley uses the colour white, which is symbolic because it is generally referred to as a ghostly colour. White is also symbolic of purity and innocence. The white bushes are used to lead you into thinking of the supernatural. As it is white and pale it also symbolises Harry being dead and him being in a different world. At the end of the story when the white roses turn red, a symbol of danger and Mrs. James feels Christine is in danger. The shadows of the rose bushes symbolise the paranormal world. We already know that Mrs. James has a fear of shadows “She was in the shadow of the bush now. It was as if she’d walked out of the world of light into darkness” and the shadow is a symbol of a place of darkness where people do not understand what is happening. The main use of symbolism in “Harry” is the unexplainable act of the rosebush turning red. This symbolises how Mrs. James has been affected by the loss of Christine. “I fell through the redness to blackness to nothingness,” this expresses the suspense she goes through and how she slowly broke down after discovering Christine had disappeared. Red could also symbolise a violent death, such as the one of Harry. Thomas Hardy uses symbolism in the form of a “miller-moth” which symbolises the soul of William flying up into the air, or returning to God to be reunited with his son. Also the spring is a symbol of unification between the father (William) and his son, as the spring took his son’s life but now shows the reflection of his face after his (William’s) own death.
Dramatic twists at the ends of stories often make the reader realise something that was totally unexpected, and by doing this, the reader is forced to read the whole story. In “Harry” Rosemary Timperley ends her story with an unsolved mystery of the whereabouts of Christine. Harry picks Christine up from school and she is never seen again. The twist is how he returned for his long lost sister. The reader is left in suspense and wonders how Harry crossed over from the dead to the living world. Rosemary Timperley creates tension and suspense near the end when Mrs. James is frantically screaming and rushing back to school to pick up Christine. The writer knows that the readers are by now gripped by the unfolding story and cleverly heightens the danger towards a conclusion, which we can make educated assumptions about. We care about the child and fear for her safety thus we dread the inevitable ending. Whereas Thomas Hardy concludes his story with William, being seen in two places at once, one was at the spring where his son had previously died, so the reader is lead to believe that he is going to be reunited with his son. It is not very tense, however it is emotional. This is because of the superstition of Midsummers Eve.
As a reader I felt that “Harry” was a successful story. It was an enjoyable ghost story. Rosemary Timperley’s clever use of the typical conventions of ghost stories creates a lot of tension; this tension was used hand in hand with our fear of death and the unknown to create suspense in the story. The ending of “Harry” is also effective because it is a repetition of the beginning of the story. This literary technique gives a silent explanation to what seemed to be a strange statement at the beginning “Such ordinary things make me afraid. Sunshine. Sharp shadows on grass. White roses. Children with red hair. And the name – Harry. Such an ordinary name.” Although the ending is effective, it still leaves the reader wondering what happened to Christine. This leaves room for a sequel, but I feel this story alone is as effective as it needs to be. Overall I felt that “The Superstitious Man’s Story” was more effective than “Harry” because it was an interesting ghost story with many superstitions related to the era in which it was written. Thomas Hardy linked the conventions of time and superstition in the story. On Midsummer’s Eve the ‘ghosts’ of people who will die within the next three days can be seen entering the church but not leaving it. The significance of time is that the ‘ghosts’ are only seen on Midsummer’s Eve. With these two conventions going hand in hand within the story, atmosphere and suspense is easily achieved. The last sentence of the story “On inquiry it was found that William in body could not have stood by the spring, being in the mead two miles off; and it also came out that the time at which he was seen at the spring was the very time when he died” creates efficient atmosphere and leaves the reader puzzled as how William was seen at two places simultaneously and leaves them pondering possibilities of supernatural events.
Suhayl Goolam-Mahomed
11LD
10/2002