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 '.
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.
the ghost or is his conscious getting to him. Then he starts losing track of
... 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
Nightjohn leaves in the middle of the night and promises Sarny he will come back. Sarny
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.
are ghosts and demons, when truly it is the hidden aspects of its own soul.6 As reflected by its
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.
The Red Convertible, written by Louise Erdrich, is a short story written in the first person perspective of a Chippewa Indian named Lyman. It portrays the story of his brother, Henry, who joins the Marines and fights in the Vietnam War. Before recruiters pick up Henry, Lyman describes him and his brother’s road trip in their brand new red Olds. Lyman explains Henry’s characteristic during their joy-ride as friendly, joking, and fun. Returning from their road trip, Henry leaves for Vietnam. When he returns, Henry is not the same joyful man that he once was before he had left. Louise Erdrich’s short story, The Red Convertible, follows the life of Henry who is as funny joking guy. Although war has changed him, and it was not for the best. Louise Erdrich’s theme for The Red Convertible is that war can devastate peoples’ lives.
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.
...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
This unique story of a residence being haunted only until the ghost is asked to leave creates a different image from the typical ghost haunting until the inhabitants are driven crazy. The residents thought the ghost more of an annoyance than a threat, and when they asked him to leave; he did so without a fight. By performing no physical harm to any of the individuals and being mostly just foot steps in the dark, this was not a typical haunting.