Comparing The Signalman by Charles Dickens and The Pit...

Comparing The Signalman by Charles Dickens and The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe In this essay I will be focusing on the comparisons between the two horrific tales, The Signalman written by Charles Dickens and The Pit and the Pendulum written by Edgar Allan Poe, and by looking at these tales, will give me an idea of how suspense is built up. In the opening paragraph of The Signalman, suspense is built up immediately as the sense of sound adds confusion and many rhetorical questions are asked such as, who is calling? Why is he calling? What is he calling about? Hallo, below there! suggests this. This adds a lot of trepidation for the reader. When the signalman looks down to†¦show more content†¦What will his reaction be to this man? The short expression great dungeon gives the reader the impression that its not just the signalman wanting to go to the natural world, but the unnatural world where he is, letting him out into the natural world. As the narrator reaches the bottom of the train track, he signifies it as a barbarous, depressing and forbidden air, which means, rough, sad and air which is outlawed. The narrator portrays the place as when he got to the railway line he felt as if he had left the natural world which indicates the place was like a totally different place what so ever. As far as we know he could have entered into another dimension. It sets the atmosphere too as black tunnel, and so little sunlight ever found its way gives the reader the sight of darkness and sin around the railway track. When the narrator arrives at the bottom, straight away you can see the shock and jolt on the face of the signalman. Why is he like this we ask? This builds suspense because it makes us wonder what is the signalman seeing in this man that us readers cannot see. The place affects the narrator in many ways as the narrator becomes more involved in to the story. He asks many questions such as lonely stop to occupy is it not? which the narrator finds it amusing or odd which makes him to