the darkness out there and the
The darkness out there and the signalmanCharles Dickens and Penelope Lively built up the tension from the beginning. The title of "The darkness out there" gives the reader an insecure feeling. The reader's imagination begins to consider what the "darkness" may be. The story begins with Sandra as "she walked through flowers" this paints a reassuring picture so we are shocked at what is to come. Sandra appears to be a stereotypical teenager as does Kerry. A prime example of this is at the beginning when he jumps from behind a hedge. This little prank gives the reader the impression of immaturity. Lively describes Mrs Rutter as a sweet stereotypical old lady. Lively calls her a Cottage loaf of a woman. She is very affectionate she offers the kids a "chocky" and refers to them as "ducks". In comparison in the "the Signalman" tension is built up from the beginning. The opening line "halloe, below there" plunges the reader right into the story, makes you curious and you ask yourself, who is saying this? Who is he speaking to? This is the line that the ghost in the apparitions repeats while waving his arms and covering his eyes. Also when the signalman being called hears the man shouting he immediately looks down the tunnel a
At the end we realise that the darkness is the evil that can arise from the best of us in the worst situations. Therefore creating a tension in the narrative. Sandra a little more fortunate in her lesson had to sit and listen to how Mrs Rutter practically murdered two German soldiersThis ending is so unexpected it is great the way Lively has used the element of surprise to make this story more exciting. The reality that this story reveals leaves us tense and shocked. When later on in "The darkness out there" the reader hears of how, during the war, Mrs Rutter let a German airman die when his plane crashed in Packers end, she left him there in the bitter cold and pouring rain. Sandra said that Kerry's "anger eclipsed his acne", Sandra is quite similar to the signalman where they both have to learn the hard way. It's quite ironic, and the irony leaves us startled it's certainly unexpected. The end doesn't come as much as a shock as to what Mrs Rutter did. The way Mrs Rutter describes the story in such an of hand matter and with no shame or regret, increases the tension. The readers too feel the desperation of his ordeal. In comparison Dickens uses good methods of creating tension to built up to the end to make an unexpected ending. Dickens uses painful personification to increase the tension. He "wiped the drops from his forehead" showing his nerves and so making us feel nervous. The end leaves us unsettled and very tense as does the "the darkness out there".
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Acceptance Essays
