Dracula and the blizzard Essay Example

Dracula and the blizzard Essay Example Dracula and the blizzard Essay Dracula and the blizzard Essay they still have no idea of what the problem is. Lumley fails to pick up on this panic and dismisses the tension by asking Tookey and Booth if they have seen a ghost. Tookey reacts by saying very seriously no ghosts in the Lot, mister as if ghosts would be preferable to what really is in Jerusalems Lot. When Booth tries to use the telephone, he finds that it is dead. This adds to the tension and suspense as it means that the three people in the bar are completely cut-off and isolated from any help if something were to go devastatingly wrong. Tookey and Booth are very reluctant to go and rescue Lumleys wife and daughter, which Lumley can not understand. Tookey and Booth obviously know a lot more about Jerusalems Lot than they are letting on. They are very anxious and scared about the Lot, which adds to suspense as they are the heroes of the story and are not supposed to get frightened. In the next few paragraphs, there are various and numerous references to Christianity and religion. Tookey and Booth mention crucifixes and Bibles. Booth says that most folks who live around the Lot wear something crucifix, St Christophers medal, rosary, something, which makes it seem that religion and faith in God is the only weapon against whatever it is that is in Jerusalems Lot. The phrase the Lot went bad creates a lot of tension and suspense because it confirms that readers fears that there is something very unpleasant in the Lot. Booth then tells the story of Jerusalems Lot to the reader, but even this tale does not prove that there is something unnatural in the Lot. This is when the word vampire is mentioned for the first time, but it is mentioned among the intoxicated ramblings of a drunken man called Richie. Suspense is created when Booth says that Richie never came back after saying he was going to Jerusalems Lot. Richie mocked the idea of vampires and was never seen again. This creates tension because the reader has probably been ridiculing the idea of vampires themselves. Tookey and Booth decide that they have to at least try to rescue Lumleys wife and daughter at which point Booth admits that he never felt so old or so scared in his life. This produces tension because it reiterates the vulnerability of the heroes of the story. Booth asks the reader questions about the Maine blizzard, which gives the impression that he is digressing from the real issue of what they are about to face in the Lot. When the three men eventually get in the car and begin the six-mile journey to the Lot, Booth says that they hadnt met a single car. This emphasises the isolation encountered by the three men. Ten minutes into the journey, they see a strange slumped form, with red eyes. This incident is never explained. When the rescuers reach the turn-off for Jerusalems Lot, Tookey says that they are only rescuing the wife and daughter if they are in the car. If they are not, then they will turn around and go home. There is no debate from Booth but Lumley is still very confused and getting rather frustrated at all the secrecy between Booth and Tookey surrounding the Lot. When they reach the car, the women are gone and all that is left is the little girls parka. This creates suspense because it is very cold outside and if the wife and daughter got out of the car voluntarily, the girl would have been wearing her parka. This means that they have been taken from the car in a hurry and against their will . Lumley at this point gets very angry. He, along with the reader, wants to know what is going on. Lumley runs into the Lot looking for his family. Tookey, Booth and the reader know that he is running towards danger, but all Lumley cares about is his family. When Tookey finally tells Lumley that the Lot contains vampires, Lumley thinks that they are lunatics and doesnt want to hear their stories. Booth says that even he thinks that Tookey did look like a bit loony. Maybe he doesnt even believe himself. The pure fear shown by Booth when Lumleys wife appears makes it obvious to the reader that maybe she is not all she seems. Under normal circumstances, Booth should be thrilled to see the lady, but he says that the sound of her voice turned his heart cold as ice in a cistern. The wifes is odd because she is described as beautiful, but she should be cold and shivering and probably looking a right mess. Lumley is seduced by the evil wife and runs to her, to the horror of Tookey and Booth. Tookey and Booth ran like rats, which would usually be a simile used to describe cowardice, but here, the reader understands why they flee. Lumleys daughter has also been turned into a vampire and tension and suspense is created as the reader sees Booth being lulled by the girls innocence and apparent vulnerability. For a moment, Booth is so taken by the little girls evil seduction that he almost wants to become a part of the vampire world within Jerusalems Lot. Booth no longer has the will power to resist her. Tookey has to rescue Booth from the little girl from hell by throwing his Bible at her. The epilogue of the story still manages to create suspense by ending by saying that the little girl is still out there, waiting for her goodnight kiss.  Both of the horror stories that we looked at use similar methods and techniques to build tension and suspense. They both avoid mentioning the real danger at first, but often hint at it, making the reader really think about what dangers could emerge. Dracula lulls Harker and the reader into a false sense of security by being very charming and courteous which is the main cause of tension and suspense in the extract of Dracula. In One for the Road, Booth convinces the reader that the real danger in Maine is the weather, and only hints at anything more. Both stories use a lot of description and require the reader to use their imagination. Because of this, the appearance of Dracula and the blizzard in Maine are probably exaggerated in the mind, which would create suspense and tension.