How is suspense created in "The Signalman"?

The Signalman


‘The Signalman’ was written in the early 18th century, by Charles Dickens. This story is set in the Victorian era, where technology and machinery did not play an important role in the livelihood of people, but images and honesty did.

‘The Signalman’, right from the beginning of the story, engrosses the reader in a world of his own. “..standing at the door of his box, with a flag in his hand, furled around its short pole” immediately brings the reader to an imaginative mind where he knows exactly what the narrator is describing, that is, as the title suggests, the signalman. The narrator, placed on a pedestal, indicates his heightened position where he calls out to the signalman “Halloa! Below there!” He being on a bridge and the signalman below it starts to create an unpleasant atmosphere, which enhances the foreboding element present in the story. The cutting is an unpleasant place and the tunnel is describe...