The Suspense in ‘The Red Room’ by H.G Wells
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‘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.
In comparison The Red Room was written only thirty years later in 1894 by HG Wells although it feels more timeless. At that time technology had improved intensely, nevertheless Wells still imitated the old fashion gothic literature style writing, which is ironic, due to the time. Both stories have managed to engage its audience by creating suspense and tension. Besides that both stories have been written in first person, this in sequence makes it sinister, in a way because we get to know the narrator’s impressions and feelings. The authors of both stories have selected discomforting places in which to set their story, they are made more eerie because that in the 19th century time many people believed in ghosts and the supernatural.
Every story, every book, every legend, every belief and every poem have a reason and a background that creates them. Some might be based on historical events, some might be based on every culture´s beliefs, and some others might be based on personal experiences of the authors. When a person writes a literary piece, that person is looking for a way to express her opinion or her feelings about a certain situation. A good example is the poem “Southern Mansion” by Arna Bonptems. The main intention of “Southern Mansion” could have been to complain, or to stand against the discrimination and exploitation of black people throughout history. However, as one starts to read, to avoid thinking about unnatural beings wandering around the scene that is depicted is impossible. The poem “Southern Mansion” represents a vivid image of a typical ghost story which includes the traditional element of the haunted house. This image is recreated by the two prominent and contradictory elements constantly presented through the poem: sound and silence. The elements are used in two leading ways, each one separate to represent sound or silence, and together to represent sound and silence at the same time. The poem mixes the two elements in order to create the spooky environment.
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The Red Room is about an old castle which boasts a dark room in it
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Tension and Suspense in The Red Room by H.G. Wells In H.G Wells’ The Red Room tension and suspense are created through the characters, the plot and the setting. The setting is typical of Gothic and Victorian ghost stories. In these times there was no electricity so use of candles for light created an eerie atmosphere. They had no modern technology like televisions for entertainment so they used books and story telling.
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allows the reader to feel as if he/she were there. It is about a young