Examining the Setting in The Signalman and The Red Room

Examining the Setting in The Signalman and The Red Room

The setting of a story matters greatly to the atmosphere of the story;

therefore a lot of writers endeavour to create effective effects

during the story that contribute hugely to the atmosphere of the

story. This is not unlike "The Signalman" and "The Red Room" which are

both Victorian mystery stories. Hence, being a mystery story from an

era, the authors have the responsibilities to create effects and

atmospheres that keep the readers gripped and interested until the

ending. The authors of "The Red Room" and "The Signalman", H.G. Wells

and Charles Dickens respectively have kept the suspense through out

both stories though with different techniques. In "The Signalman", the

complication of the story is the mysterious spectre. The story goes on

about how the spectre had appeared twice before and how after each of

those previous appearances, an accident had occurred. In the story,

the spectre stages its third appearance and the reader is kept in

suspense, anticipating what accident might occur following this most

recent appearance. The story stretches on for about two days; this was

probably Dickens' way of keeping the suspense longer. At the end of

the story, the mystery of the story is solved to an extent that we

know that it appeared again to warn the signalman and that the

signalman died at the end, however, the reader still does not know who

the spectre was. On the other hand, the complication of "The Red Room"

is a certain room in a castle, known as the red room. The story tells

the reader that the room has claimed the lives of two people lately.

In the story a young man decid...

... middle of paper ...

...fference is that at the end of "The Red Room",

we know that the spectre in the red room is fear, and the man makes it

out of the room alive, In contrast, at the end of "The Signalman",

though we know the reason why the spectre appeared the third time, we

still do not know who the spectre is and the story ends rather

tragically as the signalman dies. Lastly, the storyline of "The Red

Room" lasts from the dusk of a day to the dawn of another day;

however, the storyline of "The Signalman" lasts for roughly two days,

which in the different views of the writers, might be ways to stretch

the suspense till the end of the story.

In conclusion, even though both stories are Victorian Gothic stories,

the settings are very different and so are the effects that each

writer has created to contribute to the atmosphere of the story.