How Dickens Creates Atmosphere in the Opening of "The Signalman" by Referring to the way he Describes the Signalman's Character.

Dickens manages to create atmosphere in the beginning of "The Signalman" by portraying the signalman as a withdrawn and deliberate man. The way that the signalman looks down the tracks rather than upwards after being greeted by 'halloa! Below there'. A greeting which there could have been no confusion as to where it came from. This reveals to us that the signalman is a strange character with a somewhat indescribable manner of doing things. After …

…narrator for the next visit shows that he is a haunted man, and his strange rituals like 'don't call out' are either part of his insanity or a means he uses to fight it. The way Dickens uses the signalman to emphasis and reflects the surroundings builds up a very convincing air of mystery and coldness, which I think, is summed up when the narrator says 'his manner seemed to make the place strike colder'