I’M THE KING OF THE CASTLE
In the part where starts from page 79 “Outside, it was queer” and finishes with p.82 “then swung the satchel on to his back”, the writer uses a various techniques to convey an atmosphere of fear and mystery.
In the beginning of the paragraph, there is a sense of fear mixed with mystery; “queer”, “yew trees”, “like closed eyes”. “The yew trees” also symbolize death and darkness while the simile “like closed eyes” symbolizes the innocence of the Warings, contrasted to the truth and reality, which is how horrible Warings is. It can also mean that he’s getting away from the darkness he has previously been in. “shuttered” and “blank” are the examples of the powerful vocabulary that are used to convey this tense atmosphere, to support this idea of fear and contrast to what Warings actually symbolize.
The use of the short sentences, such as “He turned away”, helps the reader to wonder what will happen next while conveying a sense of fear and mystery. The “grey mist seeped damply through his clothes” has a powerful effect on the reader as it shows that the mist, which symbolizes Kingshaw’s thoughts are taking over his clothes, which is basically Kingshaw, himself. The fact that “he could not see very far ahead” because of the mist shows the reader that Kingshaw can’t see his future as well, as he’s lost in his “mist”, thoughts. The reminder of the crow incident makes the reader shiver while feeling pity for him as it comes up in his memories. The word “followed” conveys a sense of mystery as it is foreshadowing that Kingshaw is being followed right now, by someone who has previously compared to the crow, Hooper. The words “wet” and “slithery” may symbolize that there is something wrong with his plan, a flaw in his path. The quote “He could not see the house at all” may tell us that the atmosphere is extremely calm compared to Warings- the reader expects that something will happen in the following minutes.
“Silence” and “coldness” shows the war Kingshaw has inside his head, having a conflict with his thoughts. The rustling and squeaking over “wet grass” shows that he’s walking in a path that will destroy him step by step- it also foreshadows that his plan will fail. The repetition of “everything ahead of him was… in mist” highlights the idea that he has nothing to look or hope for. The words, “alone”, “abandoned” again makes the atmosphere tense as it brings a sense of fear. Moreover, it shows that even though he was away from Hooper, this fear was following him everywhere- this can be foreshadowing that Hooper was following him too.
The words used to describe the tractor, “crust”, “old” and “cold” implies that something will take place in the following seconds. It is also a contrast to Hooper as he’s cold, hard and crusted with his secrets. This shows the reader that Kingshaw is ahead of Hooper now; nothing would be like the past. The quote “he would be master, conqueror” supports this idea that he feels he belongs here.
In the last paragraph, the way he is thrown out of the tractor shows us that he is thrown out of his empire. It foreshadows that Hooper will be taking the charge of things soon from Kingshaw rather than leaving him be ahead of himself. To add up to this foreshadowing, it is also a reminder that he had flaws in his path, in his future; “he half fell forwards, onto the wet ground.”