The Ways in Which the Writers Create an Atmosphere of Tension, Mystery and Suspense in the Stories The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room Ans. The Monkeys Paw, a very well written gothic short story by W. W. Jacobs, has an immense variety of elements, which create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in the story, which also links and can be compared to the short story, The Red Room, written by H. G. Wells. The various steps, which the authors took to bring out the nature of their stories, were indeed similar. We see this even before actually reading the stories and analyzing them. Observing the history and background of the short stories we find them both written in the Victorian Age (1812-1870), which …show more content…
In "The Red Room", the theme instead is fear. We learn from the story that it is fear, but we miss it when we read the title. We find also that the Red Room is a very curious title, as a room can't actually be red can it? Hence we associate red with fear and danger. Is the room dangerous? Therefore an overall effect that is overwhelming with curiosity makes the reader read on to solve unanswered questions. Which, escalates a lot of questions in our head as to where could such a room be? , Or, why would it be so if it was? . Alliteration is present to stress on the redness of the room. Hence, we feel more subjected to it, as in, we actually picture the redness of the room. It makes us think how the color red is linked to fear and danger. So we do get a slight hint from this title about its theme of fear and mystery. We find the very first line in, "The Red Room" to be, "I can assure you, that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me." Curiosity is peaked here as the reader notices the word "ghost". Fear, mystery, anxiety and suspense are all interlinked here and are all called upon, by the author to awaken the readers interest in the story. Thus mystery and suspense are mounted in the readers mind, only in this first line. "Without, the night was cold and wet," This is the first
knew as red” basically clarifies he has a new outlook of the color red, which meaning emotions.
The red room is the scene of the next occurrence of suffering but in a
Red is used in literature to represent death and blood because of this authors tend to use the color whenever death or destruction is a contributing factor to the story. In Poe’s short story the ebony room contains scarlet decor which foreshadows the deaths that are going to occur at the end of the story.
The fear creeping up my skin as goosebumps begin to appear with the first steps into a haunted house filled with monsters, screams, and darkness. The weird smells and sounds and occasional air blasts lead to a rush or adrenaline, which create a dreadful sensation. The idea of having someone creep up behind me causes my spine to tingle and the hairs on my neck to rise. Fear is an inevitable emotion that comes in various forms whether it be monsters, Gothic elements, or transformations within stories. Through the three short stories, the readers are introduced to the effects that the transformations in the mood, characters, and setting have on the tension and build of fear in the readers.
Asma states, "Monsters can stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis, and as such they play imaginative foils for thinking about our own responses to menace.” This means that human weaknesses and fears are represented through monstrous figures, and these fictional situations provide perspective into how we react in fearful environments. In our current society we fear many things, including but not limited to failed or corrupt governmental systems, the afterlife, the unknown, and captivity, which makes this claim valid. Although we may not realize it, these fears are embodied by the horror monsters we see in popular culture. Society shares common fears, and often times the most prevailing fear is reflected in the most popular characters at any given time. Monsters are the fictional representations of society’s dark subconscious, exploring not only why the author’s statement is accurate but what we actually fear.
The Red Room’ written by H.G.Wells is a short story that breaks from his usual science fiction by choosing a gothic horror for this epical short story.
“What if contemporary people are less interested in seeing depictions of their unconscious fears and more attracted to allegories of how their day-to-day existence feels?” (Klosterman 1).
The more we begin to understand a monstrosity, the less we fear the monster itself, however, we fear the actions of the creature itself. Perhaps it is this fear that draws us closer to the unknown and the monsters thrive upon this fear we have. Asma discusses how this fear allows for individuals to play out scenarios in their minds; we then use the events to ultimately ask ourselves, “what will I do in a situation like that (Asma)?” Dating back to the early days of Christ in a biblical era, we see monsters have always been on the rise.
Colour is a symbolic material in various sections of the film, as it functions as connecting visual and thematic threads which allude to connotations of danger, love, passion shaping her as a dynamic, charismatic character. Lola's fiery red hair highlights her speed, as she nearly runs through the entire movie. There are scenes where Lola and Manni are together and are seemingly illuminating red light, which exhibits their love and passion. The colour red is symbolically used in the film to emphasize certain aspects of Lola's life that are maintained in the use of props. In the beginning, the call to Lola is answered on a red phone, which highlights the urgency of Manni’s call and sets the precedence for the symbolic use of red throughout the movie. The recurring motif of the red ambulance at the end of each run represents urgency and tension. The red accents the rushed plotline, the love between Lola and Manni, and the blood of them both.
The author James hurst keeps bringing up the color red so you keep thinking of it and keep wondering what importance it has.
When you think of the color red, you may automatically think of the ideas of death, emotion, or love. James Hurst uses the symbolic color of red help us visualize the story and bring it to life. For example, the narrator describes Doodle during the storm saying, “He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red.” Hurst using the words bleeding and red give us a better visual to what is happening in the story. He as well does this when the narrator says, “ I began to weep, and the tear blurred vision in red before me looked very familiar.” This line shows Brother’s emotions, how angry he was and remorseful. Other instances where the author uses red is with Doodle’s mahogany casket, the bleeding tree, and the Ibis’
The authors words of choice adds a serious and suspense on his tone. It makes the scene more suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next.
Jacobs “The Monkey’s Paw”. In each story, W.W. Jacobs used the elements of suspense, setting, and how the main character sees the supernatural to show horror to the reader. The suspense of the first part of the short story that included added suspense is horror because Major Morris described the paw being the reason of the first man’s death. The third part of “The Monkey’s Paw” shows how the main character views the supernatural added horror because you never knew what Mrs. White would do to the paw, or what would happen once Mr. White wished upon the paw. Finally, the setting of the first part of the short story shows horror because it set the mood of a dark, mysterious, old, house that Sharon Russell said was often found in horror stories. The short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs has many examples of horror, suspense, which was greatly looked for in Sharon Russell’s essay “What is the Horror
Also unlike Candide, the tone of Dream of the Red Chamber is immediately foreboding and somber, casting a hypnotic atmosphere over the rest of the story. Images of "cloud-wrapped mountains and mist-covered seas" and "the sound of flutes and strings [which] came from every house" add to the dreamlike atmosphere. The novel is
In addition, another connotation of red is danger. Red could be for-shadowing the blood that was to shed. It could also mean that she is calling the men into gambling “their jobs and money to the only girl (married) on the ranch”.