The Red Room’ by H G Wells and ‘The Whole Towns Sleeping’ by Ray Bradbury Essay Example

protection is stripped away, leading to injury and harm. Additionally, the characters within the stories contribute to a heightened sense of tension and mood.

The characters in 'The Red Room' include an ancient old woman with 'pale eyes', a 'man with the withered arm', and another man who is even more aged, with a shade covering his eyes and decaying yellow teeth. Their appearance creates an atmosphere of fear and anticipation as readers speculate on the reasons behind their gruesome state.

Fear and suspense are created in 'The Whole Towns Sleeping' through the characters, like Lavinia Nebbs who is described as sitting straight and slim with a lemonade. She taps it to her lips while waiting with a twinkling in her white fingers. Similarly, the characters warn and scare the key character in both stories. In 'The Whole Towns Sleeping', everyone is advised to go straight home and not linger on the streets, while Grandma Hanlon exclaims, "won't catch me out on a night like this," wailed Grandma Hanlon.

"I will lock myself in with a gun," exclaimed the speaker in reference to the Lonely One who strangles women (Pg 38). This sentiment is echoed in 'The Red Room', with the man with the withered arm stating "It's your own choosing" (Pg 3). The old woman adds to the sense of danger by saying "But if you go to the red room tonight - (This night of all nights!)" (Pg 3).

)'"You go alone."' (Pg 5) Nonetheless, our fear is solely triggered by the main character's fear in both 'The Whole Towns Sleeping' with Lavinia as the protagonist and 'The Red Room' with the narrator as the

protagonist. We become anxious whenever they do. Furthermore, both Lavinia and the narrator are skeptical about any potential danger.

In "The Red Room," the narrator deliberately puts himself in danger, while Lavinia simply tries to live her life. The narrator is pessimistic in the opening scene, claiming it would take a tangible ghost to frighten him. Similarly, when Francine suggests staying home, Lavinia responds that the Lonely One won't be out until later. Both stories share a theme of being more afraid of what cannot be seen.

While watching all the candles extinguish, the narrator becomes apprehensive, stating that "The flame vanished as if it had been suddenly nipped between a finger and thumb, leaving the wick neither glowing nor smoking, but black" (Pg 11). He experiences trembling hands and misses the matchbox twice due to nervousness (Pg 11), alluding to a powerful force present in the room. Ultimately, he screams in terror, "and lifting my voice, screamed with all my might - once, twice, thrice" (Pg 11).

The fear experienced in "The Whole Towns Sleeping" is mainly created at the end when Lavinia goes through the ravine. The atmosphere is such that it feels like someone is following her, but it is too dark to see, which makes the reader experience fear as well. Lavinia's statement, "someone's on the steps behind me," adds to the sense of danger. This situation is rated Pg13.

As I move forward, the sound of footsteps echoes behind me and fills me with fear. My nerves are on edge and I begin to panic, hearing my own awkward movements on the porch and watching my hands scramble with the lock. Memories of a

stranger entering my house flood my mind.

'I got you!' she screamed as he now stood by your bed.

The scream heard on page 52 was entirely unfamiliar, evoking apprehension, trepidation and a sense of mystery regarding what might transpire next. The characters' conversations with themselves serve to provide comfort.

On page 52, Lavinia questions if anything has occurred and if anyone is present. Meanwhile, the narrator thinks to themselves and says out loud with a peculiar tone, "This isn't sufficient! What's happening?"

As I spoke, I tried to maintain composure while insisting on the importance of the candles. My tone was laced with nervous humor. The characters attempt to ignore their surroundings, allowing them to amplify the sounds and voices that contribute to the overall atmosphere. This occurs on page 11 of the text.

The moon can serve as a source of fear in literature, as it is often linked to spooky tales and creatures like werewolves. This association contributes to the sense of terror experienced by readers. For example, in 'The Red Room', a moonlit corridor is described, with the moonlight casting everything into sharp black shadows via a large window on the grand staircase (Pg 7). Similarly, 'The Whole Towns Sleeping' begins with a scene set under a moonlit sky.

On page 37, it was described that there were two moons - one was a clock moon with four faces in four night directions above a solemn black courthouse, while the other was the real moon that slowly rose in vanilla whiteness from the dark east. The moon was also used as a source of reassurance, as seen in the quote "I thought suddenly

of the moonlit corridor" on page 13. The setting played a crucial role in creating fear, suspense and atmosphere in the stories. "The Red Room" took place in an isolated castle, while "The Whole Towns Sleeping" was set in a small town where the main character lived on the other side of the ravine, making her inaccessible. All the characters were on their own and far away from help.

The creation of suspense is due to the possibility of anything occurring without anyone around to assist. In "The Whole Towns Sleeping," Francine warns Lavinia that she will not be the one returning late through the ominous dark ravine; instead, Lavinia will have to face the rickety bridge and potentially encounter the Lonely One lurking behind a tree (Pg 39). The irony lies in the Lonely One ending up behind her in her own home. Both authors employ shadows in their stories since they seem to trail after you, instilling fear. The lights going out in "The Red Room" and Lavinia's journey back across the ravine in "The Whole Towns Sleeping" both result in panic.

The atmosphere is enhanced by echoes, which can give the impression of an invisible presence. This feeling is conveyed through the language and style chosen by the author, which helps to create suspense and imagery. Additionally, the author's use of vocabulary in describing the characters also contributes to the overall atmosphere.

The characters in 'The Red Room' and 'The Whole Towns Sleeping' share similar physical traits, such as a 'withered arm' and 'pale eyes'. The description of Lavinia in the opening scene sets the stage for an atmosphere of suspense and

fear. Additionally, the house in 'The Red Room' contributes to the overall eerie atmosphere with its features such as a 'queer old mirror' and a creaky door.

The streets in 'The Whole Towns Sleeping' are compared to being 'oven-baked' and 'like walking on a hard crust of freshly warmed bream'. The warnings given on 'this night of all nights' and the repeated phrases contribute to the feeling of fear and suspense. The fear, darkness, and shadows experienced by the elderly characters are also emphasized throughout the text. Imagery is effectively employed through similes, metaphors, and personification of darkness and fear, such as 'fashions born in dead brains', 'ocean of mystery', and 'like a ragged storm cloud sweeping out the stars'.

The feeling of being closed in was like having an eye shut and it was crushing.

. Analyzing the texts, I found that I liked 'The Whole Towns Sleeping' more than 'The Red Room.' The reason for this is likely due to the former being a more current story, dealing with an issue relevant to today's readers. Conversely, 'The Red Room' focuses on ghosts that may not concern or be believed by many. In both cases, the authors effectively use fear, suspense, and atmosphere to enhance their narratives.

Both similarities and differences exist in the components that combine to create an effective frightening tale.