The Judge's House

Abby Murphy

Free Essay Topic

The Judge’s House was easily one of my favorite short stories for this course. It made for an extremely gripping read. It certainly falls under the horror drama because of the fact that horror is the primary emotion evoked in the reader throughout the duration of the story. There are three reasons why this tale of horror is so successful at evoking fear and disgust in the reader. The setting, choice of villain , and plot conclusion all lend a helping hand in instilling the reader with a sense of dread and horror.

The setting is very moody and dark from the get-go. My reasons, as a reader, for finding the setting creepy have much to do with the location of the house that the main character is choosing to live/study in. Malcolm Malcomson heads out to the middle of the country in order to study for a standardized mathematics test(Mathematical Tripos) in peace and quiet.

“ There was only one place which took his fancy, and it certainly satisfied his wildest ideas regarding quiet; in fact, quiet was not the proper word to apply to it- desolation was the only term conveying any suitable idea of its isolation. It was an old rambling, heavy–built house of the Jacobean style, with heavy gables and windows, unusually small, and set higher than was customary in such houses, and was surrounded with a high brick wall massively built. Indeed, on examination, it looked more like a fortified house than an ordinary dwelling. But all these things pleased Malcolmson .’’

The rooms in the house are also said to be big and draughty, and vermin are found living within the walls. The time of night, in addition to physical location, is another creepy factor in this story. Malcolm always studies late into the evening, sitting by the fireside, drinking tea. The nighttime is associated with vulnerability and reflection, and Malcolm experiences plenty of harassment in the night hours. Rats emerge from the walls to glare at Malcolm. One particularly large and evil looking rat sits on the high backed chair near the fireplace. This large rat stares at Malcolm with a look that appears familiar and menacing. Malcolm is also at a disadvantage because he is by himself when all of this is happening on a nightly basis. This solitude contributes greatly to the horror aspect of the short story. Human beings are social by nature, and we find solace if others experience the same things that we are going through. The fact that nobody is around when Malcolm needs it the most is somewhat terrifying from the reader’s perspective. There is also a negative energy associated with the house. Visitors to the house even feel the negative vibes coming off of it.

“She was evidently curious to see the inside of the house; and though manifestly so afraid of the ‘somethings’ that at the slightest sound she clutched on to Malcomson whom she never left for a moment, went over the whole place.’’

The hangman’s rope that the judge used, and a portrait of the judge is on display in the house. Knowing what the judge was responsible for doing and seeing the method of his cruelty surely had some psychological influence on the new resident.

The choice of villain for this story also contributes to the horror feel. The villain in this case was an ex-judge who was notorious for delivering harsh sentences to prisoners. There was a portrait overhanging the fireplace in the room Malcolm studied in:

“ It was of a judge dressed in robes of scarlet and ermine. His face was strong and merciless, evil, crafty, and vindictive, with a sensual mouth, hooked nose of ruddy colour, and shaped like the beak of a bird of prey. The rest of the face was of cadaverous colour. The eyes were of peculiar brilliance and with a terribly malignant expression. As he looked at them, Malcolmson grew cold, for he saw there the very counterpart of the eyes of a great rat.’’

In addition, other smaller rats would stay in the walls and make gnawing sounds on the wood. The giant rat was only scared away in one instance. Malcolm was tossing books at it one night, and it was only after a bible was thrown that the rat tried to stop harassing Malcolm. Later on in the story, the rat turns into the judge and attacks Malcolm. It’s hard to think of anything more horrifying than an evil entity that can transition between forms to mercilessly pursue its victim.

Lastly, the plot conclusion greatly contributed to the overall mood of horror for this short story. Malcolmson’s world is completely torn asunder when he steps foot in the judge’s house. For the longest time, he tries to make the connection between the rats and the portrait of the judge. The knowledge that is derived from the moment of discovery does not end up saving his life however. The large rat manages to transform into the judge and hangs Malcolm with the sinister rope that hangs from the bell. What makes the ending all the more scary is that the judge is able to continue his reign of terror long after his own death. It is still evident that the judge takes extreme pleasure in taking the life of others. To round off the whole story, no outsider knows what truly killed the student. After Malcolm managed to ring the alarm bell he was strangled by the judge. When villagers arrived, they found the student’s body hanging and probably assumed that is was a suicide. The icing on the cake was that the judge’s picture was intact with the judge smiling malignantly in the portrait. So the truth will never be known by outsiders. Doubt is even cast into the reader’s mind as to whether or not there was a judge and army of rats haunting the house. Maybe it was all a figment of Malcolm’s imagination. He was by himself after all. Those lonely, late nights, tea drinking, and hours of studying might have placed too much stress on his nervous system. One could argue that he cracked under the pressure that he was placing himself under; and that the story of the judge that the land owner told him just grew in his imagination until the story merged with his reality. The choice as to what really happened lies with the reader. I personally believe that Malcolm was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. What all readers can agree upon is that this is a definite horror story that won’t be quickly forgotten. This is truly Bram Stoker at his best.