Comparing The Red Room and End of the Party
' The Red Room ' and the ' End of the Party ' are both stories about
fear, but whilst one was written in the 18th century the other is
modern. Because of this time gap there are differences in the style of
writing used. This essay compares the two stories.
' The Red Room ' is written by H. G Wells and the story concerns a man
who goes to stay in a room believed to be haunted so he can prove his
courage. He said ' It would take a very tangible ghost to scare me ' .
But as he spends time in the room he becomes scared ' I screamed with
all my might.' Later he realises there is no ghost in the room, it was
only his fear, ' there is no ghost there at all but worse' ' there is
fear in that room of hers'.
'The End of the Party' concerns two twins called Peter and Francis '
Peter the eldest by a matter of minutes'. Francis is afraid of the
dark, ' I'm afraid of the dark ' . Francis is dreading a party because
he knows that he will have to hide in the dark if he goes. He says 'I
don't want to go! '. When Francis does have to hide in the dark he
dies at his brother's touch. ' Not merely that his brother was dead '
.
Therefore the two stories are both about fear - one the fear of
something supernatural, the other with the fear of the dark. But the
author's styles of writing are very different.
For instance, the language used in each story is different. Although
both stories have complex language, ' The Red Room ' uses old words
which are not often used by modern writers such as ' sconces ' '
apoplexy ' and ' pallid '.
Whereas ' The End of the Party ' uses modern yet still complex words
such as ' ostentation ' and ' evasion '.
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.
Nightjohn leaves in the middle of the night and promises Sarny he will come back. Sarny
the ghost or is his conscious getting to him. Then he starts losing track of
First off, a general understanding of how the common ghost story got started needs to be in place. It is speculated that the tale of Anne Boleyn was the first recordation of ghostly happenings. Boleyn was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I and the second in a whole series of wives by King Henry VIII. She was executed after being tried and found guilty of a whole slew of charges. There are tales that Boleyn haunts the grounds in which she lived, and was ultimately executed some four-hundred years ago. It is speculated that when a person dies with “unfinished business” they haunt the place where they lived or spent their last hours, as with the story of Ms. Boleyn. Tales of ghostly happenings have circulated the world since transcontinental communication became prevalent. If given a second thought these stories can be disproved simply by following any of the preceding methods.
... he brought it back with his great emphasis and repetition of certain words. For example, he repeatedly imitated the clicking sounds that he experienced. This reenactment drew the attention of the audience and placed the audience in the hotel room that he was sleeping in, therefore made the story scarier. Also, the storyteller narrated in the first person. Because his personal experience was incorporated into the story, it made the story seem closer to the audience.
-Ghost really appears and Horatio confronts it, but as Horatio speaks to it, the ghost disappears
Room' is a story made to prove that there is no such thing as the
The red room is the place that ignites Jane's passion. The red room is one of the novels great paradoxes as it parallels with ice in that it restricts Jane's freedom and imprisons her; yet the experience gives her the courage to stand up to her aunt. The fire that the red room ignites in Jane allows her to jump the 'containment lines'; to break the bonds of her Aunt that are restricting her, and achieve freedom. The red room becomes very symbolic of Jane's fight for freedom. Whenever she suffers from there on, Jane emotionally comes back to the red room, and adds new fuel to the fire, as she reminds herself why she wants to break free of oppression.
We wonder what this great evil could be that makes evil itself tremble. Another personification used is ‘candle writing’. Candles are usually associated with gothic stories, as it is only a small source of light. within the vast darkness of the room.
are ghosts and demons, when truly it is the hidden aspects of its own soul.6 As reflected by its
if his ghost disliked strangers in his home, or if his ghost was just a reminder for her to tell the
The particular story I collected takes place in Philadelphia, where ghost stories are plentiful. Philadelphia is an old city with a rich cultural heritage, and our founding fathers made history in the place that was once our nation’s capital (Eidmann). Many believe that their spirits and spirits of those from colonial times still lurk around. It is easy to feel like spirits are around when in a place where many people have lived and died before, and in a place that is filled with old buildings and landmarks. All of these factors make this city a perfect place for a ghost story.
fearful. The reason behind this is that in the sixteenth century a ghost could be a demon trying to deceive Hamlet rather than the soul of his murdered father.
...out of all of the stories was “Redroom” and the one that I liked least was “Treasure in the Forest.” I liked “Redroom” because it has all of the features of a ghost story, it has a number of believable characters some of whom are exaggerated to make them seem more horrible than they really are. I particularly enjoyed the air of mystery created by the title and the words Wells uses “walked down the chilly, echoing passage.” To give a feeling of temperature and of the sounds being heard by the character. I liked “Treasure in the Forest” the least because of the way that Evans betrays Hooker even though he’s about to die.
like he is trying to be witty about ghosts, in making out that he does