The Signalman by Charles Dickens, The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
People have written short stories for hundreds of years; however it
was not until the 19th century that they really became popular. Short
stories were the ideal form for writers who wanted to earn some
immediate money and reach a wide audience. As more people were given
the chance of receiving basic education, literacy rates improved and
more were able to enjoy reading. As the technology improved printing
became cheaper meaning that more people could afford to buy and read
cheap magazines. This was in the days before television or radio when
reading aloud was a much more popular form of entertainment.
I have chosen to look at three short stories which were written in the
Victorian age by different authors. They are “The Signalman” by
Charles Dickens, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
The story “The Signalman” takes place in an isolated railway cutting,
where a traveller meets and befriends a lonely signalman who has a
strange tale to tell. He is being haunted by a mysterious figure that
lurks in the mouth of a rail tunnel, warning him of impending tragedy.
He has appeared twice before and on both occasions the signalman
witnessed terrible accidents; a train crash and a young bride falling
from a speeding carriage. The signalman fears that the figure will
return and some other tragedy will occur.
Charles Dickens wrote this tale after being involved in a train wreck
in which he narrowly escaped injury. The accident haunted him for the
rest of his life.
“The Yellow Wa...
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... next? What will happen to her? The woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper”
is very untypical of the normal subject in a psychological thriller.
She at first seems to be a perfectly normal woman not really ill at
all, but gradually we see her mind deteriorate and she slowly turns
into a creature resembling a wild animal, prowling around her bedroom.
“The Signalman” bears some similarities to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s
story in that there is a definite ending when the signalman is killed.
There is a difference however in that the reader is then left with a
question in their mind, which is similar to “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Is
the narrator of the story a normal person or is he possibly the ghost?
This is the typical ending of a mystery story; leaving the reader with
a quandary to ponder over after they have finished reading, making
them want to read it all over again.
Motivation is the driving force behind all actions and reactions. In both Sinclair Ross's "The Painted Door" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" motivation is the central influence behind decisions made by the characters. It causes a dilemma that invokes an action which eventually leads to the tragically ironic conclusions.
Harold Bloom, a prominent literary critic has asserted that the literary ancestors of Holden Caulfield clearly include Huck Finn and Jay Gatsby from the novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby. Holden Caulfield may not be a direct descendent of the two but he does share many of the same genetic similarities that both Jay Gatsby and Huck Finn portray in their novels. In all of the books none of the characters seem to fit into the society they are living in at the time and they all appear to be lonely as well. They also all lie in order to change situations in their life to what they believe is a more suitable story for what they are telling.
We as humans tend to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. We look for knowledge about everybody and everything that surrounds us from our day-to-day life. Sadly though, we must accept that in the grand scheme of life we (as a society) tend to put pleasure above our quest for knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge tends to take time and energy, two things we call invaluable, and it also shows us things that might depress us. Contrastingly, ignorance takes no time and energy. Also, (as the common saying goes) ignorance is bliss. It keeps ugly truths away from us. But that is no reason to forsake knowledge for ignorance. In the early 1900’s, two books were published that would eventually be referred to the pinnacle of classical literature. The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451 both stand out as stunning literary works. But their success is not the only thing they share. Though they are very dissimilar in setting as well as genre, the two books have the same theme. The theme is the universal message the book is trying to inform the readers about. Fitzgerald and Bradbury both convey the theme of the pursuit of knowledge versus the pleasure of ignorance in The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451.
towards the reader to what is the man like but later in the story this
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek to find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
Almost everybody feels a sense of alienation or isolation at some point in their life. Maybe it was when you were a young kid at a playground in school, being left out of activities. Or maybe this feeling is being experienced by an adult who is having economical or social issues. Whatever the source is for these feelings, it is not a pleasant one, and one we tend to try and avoid as much as possible in life. In the two stories I’ll be discussing, “ The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin, there are two characters who experience feelings of alienation, isolation and oppression quite heavily. The effects of alienation and oppression are hindering to women’s independence and well-being. This is seen in the situations of two women we are going to be focusing on for this paper. Alienation and oppression can hinder the well-being and happiness of the individual experiencing it. It can also have long lasting psychological effects and cultural effects as you’ll see in this research paper.
During the adolescence of modern American literature, two authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, fabricated the definition of American literature with new writing styles. These pieces of literature include “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Masque of Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout these stories, Hawthorne and Poe develop the common theme that denial of imperfections, by personal choice, leads to physical and psychological separation from society. Those who remain isolated will endure more psychological suffering than those who are part of society. In “Young Goodman Brown”, the protagonist, Goodman Brown, mentally isolates himself from his peers because he cannot accept that sin is an integral part of society. However, as a result of his dissociation from society and the isolation thereof, Goodman Brown endures even more emotional suffering. In “The Masque of Red Death”, the protagonist, Prince Prospero, isolates himself from society in order to escape death. Because of his isolation, he endures more mental suffering than if he remained incorporated within society.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Adventure. of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as they are the two. stories that have appealed to me the most. How does the writer create the sense of? Setting and atmosphere Tension An understanding of the central character’s dilemma?
Short stories seem to hold the reader in the dark until the very end. The truth is usually revealed by the author on the last few pages. However, the authors' sometimes let the conclusion up to the reader. The title of the stories can be a major hint of how the author wants you to think. "Beware the Dog" by Roald Dahl could also be titled: "Things are not What They Seem to be." "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell you must conclude that without the ladies evidence that Mrs. Wright may get off.
In the stories “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, and “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, talk about how two women are experiencing the same emotional situations they have to endure. Both of these stories express the emotional and physical trials the characters have to endure on an everyday basis. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” it shows a woman who is oppressed and is suffering from depression and loneliness. In “A Rose for Emily” it is showing the struggle of maintaining a tradition and struggling with depression. Both of the stories resemble uncontrollable changes and the struggles of acceptance the characters face during those changes.
Comparison between The Body Snatchers written by R.L Stevenson in 1884 and The Landlady written by Roald Dahl in 1960 In this assignment I am going to compare and contrast the way that Stevenson and Dahl create and maintain dramatic tension. Both of these texts contain many similarities as they both involve death and deceit, which is conveyed in the characters. In The Body Snatchers there are several people involved in the deceit, which encapsulates the relationship between the characters. The landlady is the only person involved in the murders, deceit and stuffing of the victims in The Landlady. This conveys loneliness and she seems to be withdrawn from society.
People who are unaware of their situations and don’t question anything are easily lured in by their foes who use their weaknesses to cause their downfall. The main character in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, is drawn in from her need to rebel against her family, only to find herself in an unfortunate situation she could not control. In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, the main character lures his foe in for revenge, choosing to murder him in secret instead using legal channels and giving no evidence to the outside world that his foe is dead. Arnold Friend and Montresor lure their victims to them in a similar way: by pretending to be friendly and succeeding in leading to their down fall by using their weaknesses (men for Connie and wine for Fortunato) against them.
2011 Two Different Mice and Two Different Men To the average reader, “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck may initially look very similar, but after carefully critiquing and comparing their abundance of differences, their opinion will change. Steinbeck found his inspiration for writing the novel after reading that poem. His novel is set in Salinas, CA during the 1900s and is about migrant farm workers while the poem is about the guilt felt by one man after he inadvertently ruins the “home” of a field mouse with his plow. Even though they are two different genres of literature, they share a similar intent. The poem is written in first person, while the novel is written in third person.
Shirley Jackson, The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe,
at a warehouse in London. David feels his "hopes of growing up to be a