“The Signalman” by Charles Dickens and “Red Room” by HG Wells are both short stories written to grip readers through the element of fear. Both tales were written towards the end of the Victorian era, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Victorian Britain loved literature, especially short stories. The news was idyllic because it was a source of instant entertainment, the kind of entertainment required in a technologically withdrawn age. People were also increasingly interested in supernatural events such as mesmerism. Both of these short stories met the needs of the Victorians, which is probably why they were so popular. “The Red Room” by HG Wells was written in 1896. The story sees an overconfident ghost hunter attempt to disprove the myth that the Red Room is haunted by spending a night there. “The Signalman” by Charles Dickens was written in 1866. The narrator of the story encounters a signalman who believes he has seen supernatural creatures and identifies them as harbingers of danger. Both stories feature skeptical men who encounter fear at the end of the short story. The element of fear is shown most explicitly by the speaker in the “Red Room,” who is a victim of fear. The speaker of "The Signalman" initially attributes the unusual railway incidents to simple coincidence rather than paranormal activity, but fails to find other explanations for the many incidents that have occurred. The Signalman is the character consumed by fear, which leads him to his inevitable death. Charles Dickens and HG Wels both use darkness and shadows as a symbol of fear. They both use chimneys that cast shadows. The signalman is described as a "shadowy" figure when the narrator first sees him. The tunnel is described as "black"....... middle of paper...... it follows that the engine driver said the same words and performed the same "gesticulation" that haunted the signaller, leaving the reader alone. edge. HG Wells' story is more about human psychology than ghosts and supernatural beings. The writer attempts to highlight how fear can be among us, even when the paranormal is not. Fear itself has the potential to destroy humans by clouding their reason, judgment, and self-control. The narrator of "The Red Room" sums up this theory by commenting that fear is "the worst of all things that haunt the poor mortal." The speaker understands this. In “The Signalman,” the narrator further characterizes the incidents as coincidences. He is almost in a state of denial and disbelief. The short stories “Red Room” and “The Signalman” show how even intelligent, confident people can be altered by fear. Fear is an uncontrollable force for humans.