The Suspense in ‘The Red Room’ by H.G Wells
----------------------------------------------------------------
‘The Red Room’ is a pre – 20th Century short story written by H.G
Wells. ‘The Red Room’ is an example of a traditional gothic ghost
story. These types of stories were very popular in the 19th Century.
Traditional ghost stories are usually set in a gloomy old castle with
a haunted room. There may also be an element of darkness in the
castle. These features are common in most pre 20th Century gothic
literature. It is ironic that the story is titled ‘The Red Room’ when
there is mainly an element of darkness in the room. Wells may have
used the title ‘The Red Room’ to create an image of blood. This
creates suspense because it engages the reader and gives them
something to expect from the story. The opening line of the story ‘I
can assure you’ builds tension in the reader. This is because it
starts in the middle of an argument. This technique is effective
because it makes the reader want to read on.
H.G Wells makes the setting a crucial part of the story. This can
clearly be seen from the description of the castle and the characters.
‘The door creaked on its hinges’ suggests that he castle is neglected;
it also gives the story some mystery. H.G Wells uses the description
of the ‘old people’ to build tension. He uses words such as ‘grotesque
and inhuman’ to make them sound hideous and animal like. This makes
the reader feel disgust towards the old people. H.G Wells does not
name any of the characters in the story. He only refers to the
characters as ‘the old lady’ and ‘the man with the withered arm.’ He
continuously uses these descriptions throughout the story this gives
an element of mystery to the story. Wells also chooses to withhold
information on many features of the setting. He does not tell us the
purpose of the characters being in the castle. He also does not give
us any history on the characters or there relation to each other.
The back panel of 1 Dead in Attic: Post-Katrina Stories by columnist Chris Rose does not summarize his self-publication. Rather, it dedicates the book to a man named Thomas Coleman who met his demise in his attic with a can of juice and the comforts of a bedspread at his side. This dedication closes with “There were more than a thousand like him.” That is the life force of Rose’s book. It is not a narrative, it does not feature a clear conclusion, and there is not a distinct beginning, middle, or end. Rather, it exists as a chronology of Rose’s struggle to reestablish normalcy following a time of turmoil. Rose himself states in his introduction “After the storm, I just started writing, not attempting to carve out any niche but just to tell
Title and Author: The book that I read was "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan. He called it this because the antagonist, Set, is an Egyptian god and the color he is associated with is red. He builds a pyramid as a power source and it's made of reddish stones , and the main characters try to destroy it, so thus it's called "The Red Pyramid".
To what lengths would you go for a loved one? Would you destroy something in hopes that it would save them? That 's what Lyman Lamartine did in hopes to fix his PTSD afflicted brother. "The Red Convertible" was written by Louise Erdrich in 1974 and published in 2009 along with several other short stories. Lyman, and Henry, are brothers. The story starts by telling us about how the two brothers acquired a red convertible. Henry ends up being drafted into the Vietnam War, and comes back home suffering from PTSD. One day the pair decided to take a drive to the Red River because Henry wanted to see the high water. Ultimately, the story ends with a cliff-hanger, and we are left wondering what happens to the boys. The symbolic nature of the red convertible will play a key role in this literary analysis, along with underling themes of PTSD and war.
In the novel JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte, I felt that in chapter two that the red room was a very dark place where bad things happen. The red kind of symbolizes blood, hell, and torture. The door locks from the outside, that itself is just odd. “O aunt! Have pity! Forgive me! I cannot endure it—let me be punished some other way! I shall be killed if—” This quote shows what Jane thought about the red room and how much torture it was. She even said she would rather get punished any other way. The red room sounds like a very dark and scary place that nobody should have to witness.
The Red Room is about an old castle which boasts a dark room in it
In Sherlock Holmes “The Red-Headed League” Sherlock faces off against an odd mystery. Holmes friend Mr.Wilson receives an advertisement calling for all redheads from his assistant. Next Wilson goes to apply for the job at the red-headed league. Wilson manages to win the job and is paid four pounds a week to copy down an encyclopedia. Wilson leaves his business in the hands of his assistant and begins to work for the red-headed league. Wilson follows the instructions of the red-headed league and is happy with the work. After a while Wilson goes to work one day to find that the league has dissolved without a trace. Wilson finds nothing of the existence of the league and goes to Holmes. Holmes investigates Wilson's assistance and soon has a
'The Red Room' is a short story about a room which is believed to be
“Red Queen” is a fantasy novel by Victoria Aveyard, which follows how seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow’s discovery that she, a peasant-born Red, has the special powers of the elite ruling Silvers and changes her country’s future. When the novel begins, Mare is just a pickpocket of the Red-blooded class in the country of Norta. The Reds are ruled over by the Silver-blooded humans with special powers and ability. Mare hates the Silvers.
Eighty-seven rare historical illustrations with sources! Includes H. H. Holmes memoir, confession, judgment day, concrete burial, Holmes’ reincarnation story and more.
The narrator is mocking these other characters, which builds suspense as we know that in the end it will be he that will be hurt. Another way in which the writer builds up tension and suspense is by writing the story in first person. This makes us feel emotionally drawn to the character. We feel what the narrator feels, and we only know what the narrator knows. Using first person also allows us to trust the narrator or to empathise with the character.
In the beginning of the Red Headed League, Holmes as the protagonist does not lead a common place or ordinary life because Sherlock Holmes gets on his knees to start digging to the underground to get money where the tunnel leads to the bank nearby to Wilson’s pawn shop. Sherlock Holmes appeals to millions of readers because Sherlock Holmes has an appealing based largely on his ability to make the most remarkable deductions from the mundane facts he has ever issued.
Dawn by Octavia Butler is a feminist take on an origin story. Due to its feminist foundations Dawn interrogates how gender, individuals, and social constructions shape people 's as well as society 's creation. The story follows the "rebirth" of Lilith Iyapo in an alien world after they 'saved ' her from the nuclear apocalypse on earth. Lilith 's journey is both mental and physical. She becomes more than human physically due to Okanali enhancements and mentally beyond the constraints of human beliefs, such as that of gender and time, due to her acceptance of the Ooloi and the Oankali way of life.
Le Fanu uses gothic elements to intrigue and shock readers. This is clearly represented through vivid descriptions of isolated castles, abandoned churches, and mysterious woods. “… In the thick of the forest, overlooks the silent ruins of the town” (Le Faun Chapter I), “The castle is a ruin; the very village is deserted…” (Le Faun Chapter X). Le Faun uses this to create an eerie atmosphere. Through this, he manages to build suspense, forcing the readers to always be suspicious something is going to happen, but unable to determine how and when. This keeps the readers captivated. Similarly, by exploring the literature typified by ruin and mystery, Stoker explicitly exposes gothic tropes from Harker’s very first impression of the dilapidated castle. “The closed gates are of heavy old oak and iron, all eaten with rust” (Stoker Chapter II). As a result of this, Stoker is able to effectively convey the feelings of gloom, mystery and suspense. These are presented through the castle as it holds a lot of history, thus allowing Stoker to build up a haunting and ghostly atmosphere. This atmosphere is exaggerated through a sense of decaying which adds to the gothic convention in this context. “Hinges had fallen somewhat”, “wealth of dust’ and “dusty with age”, all indicating that the place is old, rusty and rather run-down (Stoker Chapter
Cruelty is a real and evident part of society, apparent in everyday workings. In the way that harsh racial slurs are flung from mouths of ignorant anger to the way the last meal is granted to a prisoner on death row. These cruelties are unique in their own way, but each of them stemmed from a kindness. The ignorance granted with the anger, and the picking of their own food are kindnesses that lead to a cruel event. Cruelty comes and flourishes in kindness, while kindness can create and feed cruelty. Two ugly beasts that cannot come without the other, as is evident throughout a numerous amount of short stories as well as the book written by Jeannette Walls titled, The Glass Castle. Cruelty is bred/conditioned into the children at a young age
allows the reader to feel as if he/she were there. It is about a young