Set in the mid 19th century, "The signal man" takes place.
The Signal Man is primarily situated near a railway tunnel, where the main character lives to facilitate train passage. Most of the story unfolds at night, and I felt an eerie aura while reading it. The ambiance was tense, and there was a crucial moment early on that heightened the tension: "He gazed up at me without response, and I peered down at him without speaking too soon."
The moment creates tension and leaves me curious about the next events. The signal man's silence adds darkness to the story, making him appear sinister. Charles Dickens portrays him using hand gestures as well.
The eerie demeanor of the signal man is oddly captivating to me; it adds complexity to his character. In pointing to the red light he had been gazing at, he seemed to intensify the chi
...lling atmosphere of the location. As the story unfolds, Dickens distinguishes between the portrayals of the narrator and the signal man.
The signal man is depicted as a solitary, eerie character who has little interaction with the outside world. His ability to understand a language solely through sight implies his lack of external influence. Imagining encountering him on a cold winter morning, his intense gaze penetrating like the sun on paper would be unsettling. Working alone in an isolated area, he seems entranced with a fixed stare and pallid complexion.
The character's silence throughout the entire film creates a sense of sinister energy and suggests he may be hiding something. Conversely, the narrator is portrayed as confident and even borderline arrogant.
Describing him as lively, this young man bothers me with his
persistent questioning about the signal man. Despite my efforts to focus on my book, his voice drags on and irritates me. I can't help but feel sorry for the signal man, who is simply trying to go about his life while this chatty stranger appears out of nowhere to investigate him.
The narrator describes the signal man as curious and bothersome as he constantly asks questions, even when not in his presence. In the story, nearly every conversation the narrator has with the signal man involves questioning, such as "What mistake?", "Who is it?", and "Into the tunnel?". The narrator likens the signal man to a journalist with his persistent inquiry. Despite his annoyance, the narrator continues to think about and form opinions on the signal man.
The narrator experiences a disagreeable shudder and finds it rude that he acts fairly towards the signal man in person. Despite sympathizing with the signal man out of the two characters, the constant and annoying questions from the narrator may push him into loneliness and madness. Hence, despite trying to help, the narrator could drive anyone crazy.
I find Dickens' short story credible due to his skillful handling of supernatural elements. After watching "The Signal Man" video, I gained a deeper understanding of the protagonist's gestures and the resulting tension. Moreover, the powerful ending successfully ties together the story's loose threads and resolves any earlier uncertainties.
The signal man's confusion over the narrator's shout of "Halloa! Below there!" and the eerie tales he told left me unimpressed with this short, realistic story. Although it has some impact, I don't consider it a book I would recommend to others or
one that personally appeals to me. The slow pace of drawing readers in, combined with the brevity of the story, left me wanting more.
Despite the conclusion lacking a strong impact, it does not alter my perspective on the narrative...
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