A Comparison between 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The Red Room' by H.G. Wells How do Dickens and Wells create a sinister and supernatural atmosphere in the opening of The Signalman and the Red Room? Dickens and Wells both create a sinister and supernatural atmosphere in the opening of The Signalman and The Red Room by using the Gothic features, such as the presence of grotesque characters, haunted rooms, superstition and previous deaths. These features are all key ideas in the
The Signalman was first published in the Mugby Junction Christmas Edition book in eighteen sixty six. The Clayton Tunnel Crash in eighteen sixty one is believed to have inspired Dickens to write the short story the Signalman. During the time that Dickens was writing the Victorians had a fixation with the paranormal also there were many technological advances one of them being the steam train. The Signalman has two main characters in it, one is the narrator who speaks in first person, and the other
by Charles Dickens, also known as 'No1 Branchline', is part of the collection of short railway stories that are included in 'Mugby Junctions', published in 1866. These stories appear to have been written post the tragic Staplehurst, Kent train crash, in which Dickens was involved, but escaped unhurt. Following the accident, Dickens suffered from what we would call today, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This may have contributed to the reflective and supernatural nature of 'The Signalman'.