The Signalman And The Signalman Analysis

Gothic literature begin in a gloomy, decaying setting, associated with the grim image of death, to create distress and anticipation as book lovers are inadvertently cursed with a spell of enrapture, carefully woven by the malevolent mind of authors. Traditional literature, like Charles Dickens’ ‘Signalman’, does this by beginning with well-produced portrayal, elaborate language use and supernatural indication; Contemporary literature, like Roald Dahl’s ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’, utilises familiar setting and a range of characters with diverse personalities. Both genres build suspense when the story presents an unexpected turning point, that leads to the character into decision-making or the character’s questioning stance; making the mind’s cogs

Dickens had placed the centre of his story in a supposedly haunted railway filled with mystery and looming grief, atmosphere filled with “a barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air”. Dickens describes the air to be ‘barbarous’ and ‘forbidding to create suspense as he uses similar adjectives that are used to describe a monster. Railways were a normal sight to see in the 1900s, which creates a more imminent, disconsolate atmosphere by summoning a tint of fear within readers in the century through familiarity. In addition, Dickens uses alluring adjectives to build up the impeding sentiment of peril. He writes intricately about Signalman’s “terminating”, and “dismal” post to create a melancholic tenor, similar to the beginning of a tragedy, summoning curiosity and suspense. By activating the vivid imagination within the reader’s minds through such detailed description, readers will be trapped within an illusion of being the narrator himself. What amplifies this effect is the blatant use of first person — readers ‘viewing’ the Signalman in person, creating a more personal experience through a virtual emotional connection. To add, the author uses the colour red in the aspect of symbolism, as shown in, “steeped in the glow of an angry sunset “ and “He pointed to the red light he had looked at.” The Danger-light

It blatantly shows that the story has their family as a base for the atmosphere, and also used warm words such as “blissful” and “luxuriate” to describe Mary’s feelings as she jubilantly waits for her husband’s return. Horror stories are usually staged in familiar places, for example in the modern era, haunted households, corpses in the wardrobe, etcetera. By writing about a domestic, familiar atmosphere, the author summons fear within the hearts of the readers as they anticipate the same thing will happen to them, a suspenseful psychological feat in reality. Consequently, “the two table lamps alight-hers and the one by the empty chair opposite” depict the cosy aura within the Maloney household. By using the words ‘chair opposite’ and ‘table lamps’, where technology had arisen, the ambience is bright and mellow. By doing this, the readers feel at home, and will be oblivious to the augured problem that will arise soon after. What intrigues readers in Roald Dahl’s piece is how he quoted the bible in his title. The original use of "Lamb to the Slaughter" is found in the Bible. It’s presents double entendre, because the leg of lamb was eaten by the detectives as a sacrifice to save the child within Mary’s womb.. This phrase is located in both Jeremiah and Isaiah, and it refers to someone who goes innocently and unconcernedly into a