How Do H.G.Wells and Sir Arthur Cannon Doyle create tension in ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Club Footed Grocer’?
...give images of gloomy and creepy settings. The setting of ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is different to that of ‘The Red Room’ but I think gives off the same effect as they are both isolated. The setting in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is mostly in abandoned marsh land and in an old house that is boarded up, both are very isolated and would both seem strange to young men that have been brought up in towns. The setting in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is changed a lot, for instance we come from a busy town to the middle of no where. Both the settings in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ and ‘The Red Room’ are similar to ‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens. Dickens chose to set his story in the deep, dark, damp cutting edge of a rail way track. This in its self creates a cold eerie atmosphere. This is obviously going to makes us feel uncomfortable and edgy as to what is going to happen and is also isolated like ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Club Footed Grocer’. Also to create Tension in ‘The Red Room’ the immediate use of direct speech by H.G.Wells is important as it gets us straight into the story, and also starts the story off with mystery, which immediately makes the reader want to read on, to see what has already happened. When the protagonist (main character) is with the owners of the house in the story, they show signs of great warning. One of these signs is the use of repetition, for example; "It is your own choosing", said the man with the withered arm. During this story, this line is repeated 4 times! This give signs of discouragement. Another example of discouragement is when one of the custodians says; "And are you really going?" This makes it sound worse than it actually is and makes the reader think that there really is something scary involved, which makes the story sound exciting. Also, one of the custodians says; "This night of all nights" This also creates a lot of suspension, as the reader will think that it is Halloween or some sort of anniversary, which makes the idea of something scary more coincidental. This is a good way of emphasising the whole concept of ghosts or terror perhaps. When the Main character enters the castle he seems ok and looks town at the Custodians as if they were all crazy. In the beginning it seems that he has paid no attention to what they have to say in the slightest as if they are all mad or something. But then as soon as he leaves them and makes his way towards ‘The Red Room’ he starts acting irrational and starts turning simple things like furniture and stairs into something that they are not which adds a lot of fear. As he is doing this not only is it himself he is fooling into a false sense of fear but also the reader as it is in 1st person so we are journeying with him. It is when he gets into the room that he really starts acting in a way that convinces him as well as us that there is something paranormal in the room as he starts replacing the wind/draft that blows out his candles with ghosts and other irrational things. When the main character wakes up in the morning it is almost humorous to us that there was noting but him in the room and the only thing to be scared of was fear its self, Of which was all created by him and the grotesque custodians. The character in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ creates tension I think in his innocents. As it is first person we only know what the character knows and to be honest he does not know a lot. He is going to go and help his uncle that is in trouble yet we do not know his uncles situation or why it is that he needs to get a train to an isolated place away from where he needs to go. A popular theory is that we are afraid of the unknown and if this is true then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has created a lot of fear using this method by applying mystery. We meet other characters before we meet his uncle like the sailors we get a quick glimpse at and the ‘Purcell family’ that look after the main character before he meets his uncle. They do not show hospitality out of favour but for pay from his uncle, as he is much disliked. The farmer’s wife is amazed that the main character has come on his own accord to help his uncle. This adds more tension as she does not give away any clues only that there is no one making him go to help his uncle and he can go back if he wants. The farmer is blunt towards the main character, as he is a relative of Maister Maple. To conclude It is clear that these three stories share many differences and similarities in the way they create suspense and mystery. The setting is very important for all three of the stories. In “The Red Room” and “The Signalman” the setting has a place that is associated with death, in “The Red Room” there is the idea of a ghost being present, and in “The Signalman” a ghost is present. The places in these stories are all very bleak and perhaps frightening in a way. There are journeys involved in all three stories, and these are very much affected by the pace of the stories. Another factor that is important in these stories is the interaction between the characters. In each story there is a warning from one character to another. For example, in “The Red Room” there are the warnings from the custodians, like: “This night of all nights” And “It is your own choosing” In “The Clubfooted grocer” there is the warning in the letter, and perhaps a warning where the driver of the trap asked for proof of ID. In “The Signalman” there is the ghost that is frightening and the warning of the ghost of the signalman’s own death. The signalman doesn’t know at this point in time if he is mad or if he is seeing real ghosts, so this adds to the mystery. The pace is the final part of the stories that adds to the suspense and mystery. The major pace pick up in “The Red Room” is when the candles flames are doused as it shows that there is something there. Also to add to the suspense there is a sudden change in the way the story is told for example the shorter words and sentence structures to increase speed. In “The Clubfooted Grocer” the journey is very slow and suddenly there is a very rapid sequence of events until the climax of the Clubfooted Grocer falling down. There is a rapid exchange of words from the protagonist and his uncle when they are in the house. Finally, in “The Signalman” the pace isn’t too important, only the rapid exchange of comments between the visitor and the signalman when the signalman tries to explain what had happened. Finally, “The Clubfooted Grocer” ends with an explanation of the whole mystery, rather like a Sherlock Holmes Story, but the other two remain mysterious, and have no other alternate answer other than the supernatural. P.Wiseman H.G.Wells and Sir Arthur Cannon Doyle create tension in ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ through three main methods. Firstly Through the gloomy isolated settings. Secondly through the behaviour and speech of the characters in both. Thirdly by the use of pace and 1st person narration. Both stories are from ‘telling tales’ and are examples of pre- twentieth century stories. ‘The Red Room’ by H.G.Wells is a story about a young man that goes to a castle that we do not know a lot about other than it is isolated, in this old castle there are three old custodians that seem very odd in there actions and speech’s. The young man stays in a red room for the night and has an irrational experience in there. We do not know any thing about this room other than it is red from the title. The colour red gives us a bad impression of the room as it gives us the idea of blood. The custodians build up a tremendous atmosphere around the room, which makes it very tense. ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ by Sir Arthur Cannon Doyle is a short story with a mysterious atmosphere from the start. I think that the reason for this is the reputation of the author for his mystery stories. The story starts with a young man getting a letter from his uncle, of which we are given a bad impression from what his mother says. The young man is asked to go and help his uncle in his time of need and it will be well worth his while. The idea of making a train journey to a distant place to do a job for some one that in tiles a gun is mysterious as it is if you have no idea of the history of his uncle or why he would need a gun. In the end his uncle is in trouble with some ex – naval men and gets killed before having his diamonds stolen/taken back. Through out the story we meet various other people that help to build tension. ‘The Red Room’ has a typical Gothic/Victorian ghost story setting. People who neglected their own welfare are generally regarded as morally corrupt, these kind of people stereotypically inhabit dilapidated and derelict buildings. Gloominess is suggested by the cold and dark contribution from the atmosphere of oppression and neglect. The castle is described as ‘ghostly’, ‘old’, ‘draughty subterranean’, ‘chilly and dusty’. This selection of words is effective in creating fear as they all relate and give images of gloomy and creepy settings. The setting of ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is different to that of ‘The Red Room’ but I think gives off the same effect as they are both isolated. The setting in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is mostly in abandoned marsh land and in an old house that is boarded up, both are very isolated and would both seem strange to young men that have been brought up in towns. The setting in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is changed a lot, for instance we come from a busy town to the middle of no where. Both the settings in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ and ‘The Red Room’ are similar to ‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens. Dickens chose to set his story in the deep, dark, damp cutting edge of a rail way track. This in its self creates a cold eerie atmosphere. This is obviously going to makes us feel uncomfortable and edgy as to what is going to happen and is also isolated like ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Club Footed Grocer’. Also to create Tension in ‘The Red Room’ the immediate use of direct speech by H.G.Wells is important as it gets us straight into the story, and also starts the story off with mystery, which immediately makes the reader want to read on, to see what has already happened. When the protagonist (main character) is with the owners of the house in the story, they show signs of great warning. One of these signs is the use of repetition, for example; "It is your own choosing", said the man with the withered arm. During this story, this line is repeated 4 times! This give signs of discouragement. Another example of discouragement is when one of the custodians says; "And are you really going?" This makes it sound worse than it actually is and makes the reader think that there really is something scary involved, which makes the story sound exciting. Also, one of the custodians says; "This night of all nights" This also creates a lot of suspension, as the reader will think that it is Halloween or some sort of anniversary, which makes the idea of something scary more coincidental. This is a good way of emphasising the whole concept of ghosts or terror perhaps. When the Main character enters the castle he seems ok and looks town at the Custodians as if they were all crazy. In the beginning it seems that he has paid no attention to what they have to say in the slightest as if they are all mad or something. But then as soon as he leaves them and makes his way towards ‘The Red Room’ he starts acting irrational and starts turning simple things like furniture and stairs into something that they are not which adds a lot of fear. As he is doing this not only is it himself he is fooling into a false sense of fear but also the reader as it is in 1st person so we are journeying with him. It is when he gets into the room that he really starts acting in a way that convinces him as well as us that there is something paranormal in the room as he starts replacing the wind/draft that blows out his candles with ghosts and other irrational things. When the main character wakes up in the morning it is almost humorous to us that there was noting but him in the room and the only thing to be scared of was fear its self, Of which was all created by him and the grotesque custodians. The character in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ creates tension I think in his innocents. As it is first person we only know what the character knows and to be honest he does not know a lot. He is going to go and help his uncle that is in trouble yet we do not know his uncles situation or why it is that he needs to get a train to an isolated place away from where he needs to go. A popular theory is that we are afraid of the unknown and if this is true then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has created a lot of fear using this method by applying mystery. We meet other characters before we meet his uncle like the sailors we get a quick glimpse at and the ‘Purcell family’ that look after the main character before he meets his uncle. They do not show hospitality out of favour but for pay from his uncle, as he is much disliked. The farmer’s wife is amazed that the main character has come on his own accord to help his uncle. This adds more tension as she does not give away any clues only that there is no one making him go to help his uncle and he can go back if he wants. The farmer is blunt towards the main character, as he is a relative of Maister Maple. To conclude It is clear that these three stories share many differences and similarities in the way they create suspense and mystery. The setting is very important for all three of the stories. In “The Red Room” and “The Signalman” the setting has a place that is associated with death, in “The Red Room” there is the idea of a ghost being present, and in “The Signalman” a ghost is present. The places in these stories are all very bleak and perhaps frightening in a way. There are journeys involved in all three stories, and these are very much affected by the pace of the stories. Another factor that is important in these stories is the interaction between the characters. In each story there is a warning from one character to another. For example, in “The Red Room” there are the warnings from the custodians, like: “This night of all nights” And “It is your own choosing” In “The Clubfooted grocer” there is the warning in the letter, and perhaps a warning where the driver of the trap asked for proof of ID. In “The Signalman” there is the ghost that is frightening and the warning of the ghost of the signalman’s own death. The signalman doesn’t know at this point in time if he is mad or if he is seeing real ghosts, so this adds to the mystery. The pace is the final part of the stories that adds to the suspense and mystery. The major pace pick up in “The Red Room” is when the candles flames are doused as it shows that there is something there. Also to add to the suspense there is a sudden change in the way the story is told for example the shorter words and sentence structures to increase speed. In “The Clubfooted Grocer” the journey is very slow and suddenly there is a very rapid sequence of events until the climax of the Clubfooted Grocer falling down. There is a rapid exchange of words from the protagonist and his uncle when they are in the house. Finally, in “The Signalman” the pace isn’t too important, only the rapid exchange of comments between the visitor and the signalman when the signalman tries to explain what had happened. Finally, “The Clubfooted Grocer” ends with an explanation of the whole mystery, rather like a Sherlock Holmes Story, but the other two remain mysterious, and have no other alternate answer other than the supernatural. P.Wiseman H.G.Wells and Sir Arthur Cannon Doyle create tension in ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ through three main methods. Firstly Through the gloomy isolated settings. Secondly through the behaviour and speech of the characters in both. Thirdly by the use of pace and 1st person narration. Both stories are from ‘telling tales’ and are examples of pre- twentieth century stories. ‘The Red Room’ by H.G.Wells is a story about a young man that goes to a castle that we do not know a lot about other than it is isolated, in this old castle there are three old custodians that seem very odd in there actions and speech’s. The young man stays in a red room for the night and has an irrational experience in there. We do not know any thing about this room other than it is red from the title. The colour red gives us a bad impression of the room as it gives us the idea of blood. The custodians build up a tremendous atmosphere around the room, which makes it very tense. ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ by Sir Arthur Cannon Doyle is a short story with a mysterious atmosphere from the start. I think that the reason for this is the reputation of the author for his mystery stories. The story starts with a young man getting a letter from his uncle, of which we are given a bad impression from what his mother says. The young man is asked to go and help his uncle in his time of need and it will be well worth his while. The idea of making a train journey to a distant place to do a job for some one that in tiles a gun is mysterious as it is if you have no idea of the history of his uncle or why he would need a gun. In the end his uncle is in trouble with some ex – naval men and gets killed before having his diamonds stolen/taken back. Through out the story we meet various other people that help to build tension. ‘The Red Room’ has a typical Gothic/Victorian ghost story setting. People who neglected their own welfare are generally regarded as morally corrupt, these kind of people stereotypically inhabit dilapidated and derelict buildings. Gloominess is suggested by the cold and dark contribution from the atmosphere of oppression and neglect. The castle is described as ‘ghostly’, ‘old’, ‘draughty subterranean’, ‘chilly and dusty’. This selection of words is effective in creating fear as they all relate and give images of gloomy and creepy settings. The setting of ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is different to that of ‘The Red Room’ but I think gives off the same effect as they are both isolated. The setting in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is mostly in abandoned marsh land and in an old house that is boarded up, both are very isolated and would both seem strange to young men that have been brought up in towns. The setting in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ is changed a lot, for instance we come from a busy town to the middle of no where. Both the settings in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ and ‘The Red Room’ are similar to ‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens. Dickens chose to set his story in the deep, dark, damp cutting edge of a rail way track. This in its self creates a cold eerie atmosphere. This is obviously going to makes us feel uncomfortable and edgy as to what is going to happen and is also isolated like ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Club Footed Grocer’. Also to create Tension in ‘The Red Room’ the immediate use of direct speech by H.G.Wells is important as it gets us straight into the story, and also starts the story off with mystery, which immediately makes the reader want to read on, to see what has already happened. When the protagonist (main character) is with the owners of the house in the story, they show signs of great warning. One of these signs is the use of repetition, for example; "It is your own choosing", said the man with the withered arm. During this story, this line is repeated 4 times! This give signs of discouragement. Another example of discouragement is when one of the custodians says; "And are you really going?" This makes it sound worse than it actually is and makes the reader think that there really is something scary involved, which makes the story sound exciting. Also, one of the custodians says; "This night of all nights" This also creates a lot of suspension, as the reader will think that it is Halloween or some sort of anniversary, which makes the idea of something scary more coincidental. This is a good way of emphasising the whole concept of ghosts or terror perhaps. When the Main character enters the castle he seems ok and looks town at the Custodians as if they were all crazy. In the beginning it seems that he has paid no attention to what they have to say in the slightest as if they are all mad or something. But then as soon as he leaves them and makes his way towards ‘The Red Room’ he starts acting irrational and starts turning simple things like furniture and stairs into something that they are not which adds a lot of fear. As he is doing this not only is it himself he is fooling into a false sense of fear but also the reader as it is in 1st person so we are journeying with him. It is when he gets into the room that he really starts acting in a way that convinces him as well as us that there is something paranormal in the room as he starts replacing the wind/draft that blows out his candles with ghosts and other irrational things. When the main character wakes up in the morning it is almost humorous to us that there was noting but him in the room and the only thing to be scared of was fear its self, Of which was all created by him and the grotesque custodians. The character in ‘The Club Footed Grocer’ creates tension I think in his innocents. As it is first person we only know what the character knows and to be honest he does not know a lot. He is going to go and help his uncle that is in trouble yet we do not know his uncles situation or why it is that he needs to get a train to an isolated place away from where he needs to go. A popular theory is that we are afraid of the unknown and if this is true then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has created a lot of fear using this method by applying mystery. We meet other characters before we meet his uncle like the sailors we get a quick glimpse at and the ‘Purcell family’ that look after the main character before he meets his uncle. They do not show hospitality out of favour but for pay from his uncle, as he is much disliked. The farmer’s wife is amazed that the main character has come on his own accord to help his uncle. This adds more tension as she does not give away any clues only that there is no one making him go to help his uncle and he can go back if he wants. The farmer is blunt towards the main character, as he is a relative of Maister Maple. To conclude It is clear that these three stories share many differences and similarities in the way they create suspense and mystery. The setting is very important for all three of the stories. In “The Red Room” and “Th...