The way in which pre 1914 stories use the social history of the time to create mesmerizing reading involves the writers focusing on isolation, superstition and different themes. They use the themes to grip the readers and make them continue reading. The writers use this as these thoughts and ideas they were related to their readers and the things they knew about. All three writers use the idea of isolation to keep the audience curious and reading on.
Firstly in 'The Signalman' isolation is represented in the way the signalman was all alone.His job made him have visions and these made him mentally unstable. When the visitor enters the signal box and the signalman imagines that this was yet another vision. "In my turn I stepped back. But In making the action, I detected in his eyes some latent fear of me". This shows how he feared someone who he had never seen before.
It also shows how he was alone and continually felt that he was isolated. This was what the job would have been like for an isolated signalman of this time period. In this story it eventually leads up his break down and to his own death.Secondly 'The Superstitious man's story' uses superstition and the thoughts of the reader to make their views of the character differ as the story continues.
The reader is made to feel that this person has a very lonely and isolated character. Firstly the story makes the audience feel that he is a loner who has a mysterious sense about him. This makes the audience feel he is a bad character. "William, as you may know, was a curious, silent man:" The use of the word curious is not that he is inquisitive, he is strange. It also tells the reader he is definitely isolated by the way he does not speak much .This also quote makes the reader feel the character has no friends and has no life outside work or home life.
In 'The Dream Woman' Isaac is a character who is dependant on his mother and always returns to her house. This makes the reader feel that he has no other life or friends and is also reiterated when the narrator says "Isaac! your face frightens me. Come in to the fire". This shows how his mother cares for him and he knows that he can go to his mother for anything. Further on in the story it states that Isaac had not had a girlfriend in 35 years showing his isolation and lack of friends.
This is the best way in which the writer portrays the theme of isolation, hinting at the characters own personal isolation. Each writer sets the scene in a normal village or town. 'The Signalman' is set in an isolated area in a valley with very few people visiting. This makes people feel that the signalman has no friends and has no social life. The audience are made to feel that the signalman's life revolves around his job and run down in his life. "While he was speaking to me he twice broke off with fallen colour" This shows that he has no life outside his job and fears the confrontation of speaking to other people.
As when the visitor enters he is scared and fears it is another spectre, showing that he has no other life outside work. 'The Superstitious mans story' is set in a normal town. It is a picturesque village in which everybody knows everybody. This was also typical of the time and what a reader of the time would be used to, allowing the reader to relate to the story. "Now don't tell anybody, but I don't mind letting you know what the reason o't is.
" This accent is from Bristol or Somerset, which shows this, is set in a rural community.This quote also shows the way in which people knew most of the people that lived or used to live in their village. Showing the unity of the people of that time period. 'The Dream Woman' also follows the trend that the other stories have set. This is that they are typical of the time period in where they are set. "I had not been settled much more than six weeks in my country practice, when I was sent to a neighbouring town.
" This quote shows that once again a rural setting is being used. The setting of all three stories contains very similar features and the reader of the time could relate to this.The way in which the characters are presented makes the audience feel a certain way about the character. In 'The Signalman' there are few main characters. These are: The Signalman, Visitor (Narrator) and the spectre. The Signalman is a lonely character who is very cut off from his family and his hometown and therefore cannot make any friends.
Visitor is the narrator who enters and is then thought of as another spectre to the signalman. Spectre a vision or ghost that tries to scare the signalman who makes him so confused, he is killed. There is a brilliant twist which makes the audience realise at the end what has happened.The superstitious man's story' has also very few main characters. These are: Betty, gossip, William. Betty is the wife of William who tells the gossip about her problems with her husband and through a local superstition realises her husband is going to die.
The Gossip Analyses the goings on after the event and realises what happened to William. William is considered a mercurial character that has something supernatural about him, but with a twist in the ending, he turns out to still be grieving for his son, making the audience feel that they were judging him too quickly.William has the subliminal message that we should not always judge on our first impressions. 'The Dream woman' has four main characters. These are: Isaac, Rachel, the dream woman, mother. Isaac is who the story is based on.
He has a dream and is shown to be very insecure and feels that his mother will protect him. Rachel is the woman who Isaac marries and turns out to be the dream woman and then proceeds to try and kill Isaac. The Dream woman is a part of Isaac's premonition/dream in which he is nearly killed. It is proved to be of great importance to the story and the understanding further on.
Mother takes charge when her son, Isaac has the premonition and makes details on the event. She also tells the truth to the reader about Rachel when Isaac first meets her. In all the stories a different insight is given about the 19th century. 'The Signalman' has lots of information on life through the 19th century and how technology was changing. An example of this is the way in which trains were revolutionised and enabled people to travel around the country for a cheaper price in a small amount of time. "He turned himself about, and looked down the line".
This showed that he had lives in his hand and he needed to this to help to well being of other. This quote also shows that the times were advancing and the way in which this job was effective at the time and the way in which technology was advancing. 'Superstitious man's story' shows another aspect of the 19th century. It shows that most people in the 19th century believed in superstition and the way in which they judged immediately on their first impressions. "Sunday, at a time that William was in very good health to all appearance, the bell that was ringing for church went very heavy".This quote shows how any little thing that was out of the ordinary they assumed was supernatural.
This also warns the audience that a special event was going to happen to one of the main characters. 'The Dream woman' also gives information that most people were very superstitious. "His mother's face grew paler and paler". This shows how his mother cared about the things her son was talking about. This quote also shows the way in which the mother writes everything down as she feels that it is very important to the future of her child's life.
This proves to be vital in the ending of the story. In this final paragraph I will summarise the message that the writers are trying to portray to the reader. 'The Signalman' attempts to show that technology is advancing and the way in which many jobs are being created. It also shows a slight amount of superstition and the way in which they try to portray ghosts. Its reader would be able to relate to the change that Britain was going through at the time. 'Superstitious man's story' also puts the message across that superstition was a major part of life in the 19th century.
It also put across the message that people in the 19th century judged instantly and were very close and united. It makes the reader consider the different possibilities to things that happen everyday. It makes other people think about superstition and how normal events can be turned into anything. 'The Dream woman' puts the message across that again superstition is major part of life and that everybody was united in the way in which they lived. It also show how family stuck together in the past.
