The Red Room: A Swedish Novel by August Strindberg

The following example essay is The Red Room: A Swedish novel by August Strindberg. Read the introduction, body and conclusion of the essay, scroll down.

This intensifies their brutality and hardens their image to the reader. Also, H.G. Wells goes into no discussion about their lives, this way he keeps them very impersonal, even in human at the same time. Another main similarity is that the two pieces are both written by two very accomplished authors. H. G Wells past accomplishments are well known, “The Time Machine” (1895) & “The War Of The Worlds” (1898) both imparticular.

These also reflect his passionate interest in science. His passion for science first began as he intended to become a science teacher after he had obtained a degree. Sadly, illness prevented this, so he incorporates science (fiction) into some of his novels.

This novel is based on horror; very inconsistent to his futuristic novels mentioned above. The genre, horror, is still well liked today by millions and Wells’s “The Red Room” is a prime example of this genre.

Until the end, the short story is very different to his previous scientific novels, when the reader is led to question the belief in an evil presence; this ties in with Wells’s scientific, practical approach to life. George Orwell has a lot in his life to reflect in his novels, this is partly why he was so successful.

In 1936 he fought against the fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War, as he was a firm believer in socialism.

Get quality help now

Doctor Jennifer

Verified

Proficient in: Novels

5 (893)

“ Thank you so much for accepting my assignment the night before it was due. I look forward to working with you moving forward ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Orwell has had a first hand view of war and its negatives, so when it comes to descriptive writing, he makes full use of his experience of hardship. He came out of the war badly injured. He wrote the descriptive novel “1984” in 1948 after what he had seen and heard from the Second World War, this was his main influence. The book was written as a contemporary warning to mankind and if they did not fight against dictatorships this is what may lie in the future, where absolute power is unchallenged.

The Red Room Novel

While there a far less important differences between the two stories then similarities, there are still some easily identifiable differences between the two authors’ writing. Firstly, Winston is not alone in the room 101, with a guard and mainly the imposing O’Brien acting in the scene. Whereas in the red room the narrator was the single person who entered. The difference between the two is that in the Red Room, a different category of fear is introduced, with the narrator being the only person it makes for an exasperating “being alone” type of horror, not knowing what is lurking.

So in the Room 101, there are people, this makes a fear where the victim does not know how or when something will inflict upon him, but he knows it will. The twist of the fear is also a large difference; in “The Red Room” the fear is of something in the mind. The mind’s pressure believes it to be something supernatural, when really fear itself was defeating it, and this was the real twist in the story – that fear can break down a person’s mind. The Room 101’s fear is that of something real, a natural fear that cannot be overcome despite what he may try (rats in Winston’s case).

Therefore again pushing his mind to all fearful conclusions. “The Red Room” was set in the present, yet “1984” is set in the future. This difference may imply that the authors adopt different writing preferences. Wells may like to write stories of fiction at present. Orwell has chosen his to give a warning, therefore it has to be written in the future. The times that these were written (The Red Room – before 1900, 1984 – 20th century) indicates that the “tension filled style” chosen for the stories has lasted, and has been interpreted in different ways as the time has past.

The final noticeable difference is that they are different types of story, the Room 101 is an extract form the novel “1984”, whereas “The Red Room” is a complete short story. The difference is that the short story holds a complete story showing all aspects of fear and tension from beginning to end. So in this story the author concentrates on one particular type of fear because it is a shorter story. The extract shows different types of fear that can be expanded on, as the novel is far bigger. Therefore the focus is on the intensity of the fear- Winston’s intolerance and hatred of rats.

The two texts are incredibly tension filled reading. They are fun yet comprehensible, which makes for a diversity of writing. I particularly enjoyed the “1984” extract. The reason for this is as I read it, it felt as though I could easily imagine Winston’s position and how he felt. To know your worst fear is about to be inflicted upon you yet you cannot do anything about it except listen to the remorseless O’Brien drag on the remaining minutes of your life by explaining your fate in a cold manner.

It seemed to me that O’Brien had a very important role that helped the fear and tension become more intense and realistic. It is not a surprise as Orwell has had many successes, with his popular and respected style of writing. Whilst I enjoyed “1984” more, I still appreciate the impressive story, “The Red Room” by H. G Wells. He too showed that his style of writing is very intricate, as I enjoyed the story from beginning to end. Elements such as nameless people, long narrow darkened corridors etc. all make up for a sinister setting that is pleasant to read.