How does the writer of Whistle and I’ll Come to You create an atmosphere of fear

and suspense?

Whistle and I’ll Come to You is an extract from Women in Black by Susan Hill. It
is a gothic style piece set in an old house called “Eel Marsh House”. Whistle and
I’ll Come to You is written in first person perspective. This essay will discuss;
darkness, the supernatural and Hill’s use of gothic-esque language.

Whistle and I’ll Come to You is set in the “howling darkness”. The use of the word
“howling” creates a sense of eeriness. The author’s use of pathetic fallacy helps to
personify the darkness as evil. The author’s use of “darkness” is a classic gothic
theme. Furthermore when the protagonist is going down the stairs she was
immersed in “pitch blackness.” The use of the word “pitch blackness” conveys
how dark it really was. The authors use of darkness when bad things are
happening helps to add fear and create suspense. Hill’s use of a long sentence
when talking about the “pitch blackness” shows how whilst the time in which the
protagonist could not see may have not been very long it felt as if it was.

The narrators thoughts of the supernatural help to add to the gothic theme, “like
a banshee.” The use of the supernatural term “banshee” conveys the ear
shattering screams that she was listening to. The use of a simile infers that the
protagonist does not completely believe that the supernatural exists. This is
contextually relevant, as many gothic female protagonists do not believe in the
supernatural life. The protagonist thinks that the sound she is hearing is from
someone dead. She questions the sounds and contemplates that they may belong
to a “long dead ghost?” The use of internal monologue shows that the protagonist
does not fully believe what is going on. The use of short paragraphs especially
when discussing the supernatural helps to reengage the reader and helps these
sentences stand out. The narrator feels unsafe and uneasy. She feels that
“Someone just having passed close.” From this we can infer that whilst physically
she is alone mentally she is plagued by thoughts of other people being near her.
The word “close” conveys how she feels that this person violated her personal
space and was closer to her than she felt comfortable with.

Hill helps to set a negative tone with her use of Gothic language. The word
“moaning” in the first paragraph helps to set the tone of this extract. The use of
the onomatopoeic word “moaning” describes the unpleasant and unsettling
sound that could be heard round the house. Hill describes the sounds as
“banishing all tranquility.” The author’s use of negative lexis shows how horrible
the environment is at night. The word “banishing” infers that the protagonist
feels she is not allowed to relax or feel settled in Eel Marsh House.

In conclusion the author uses literary devices like similes and pathetic fallacy to
bring alive the darkness, this helps to create an atmosphere of fear and suspense
as it brings their fears alive. Another way in which Hill creates fear and suspense
is by talking about the supernatural and adding in many elements of gothic style
writing and gothic themes.