In the Midst of Life · Chapter
The Day Before explained
Two early morning passengers, Marsh and Colston, engage in a heated debate about the proper conditions for reading a ghost story.
What happens
Two early morning passengers, Marsh and Colston, engage in a heated debate about the proper conditions for reading a ghost story. Colston insists that his work requires solitude, night, and candlelight to evoke fear, and criticizes Marsh for reading it in a distracting streetcar. The argument escalates, leading to a challenge where Marsh agrees to read one of Colston's manuscripts alone in a deserted house that night.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion vs. Reality
Colston argues that the emotional impact of a ghost story depends on the reader's willingness to suspend disbelief and create a receptive mental state, blurring the line between fiction and genuine fear.
Characters to notice
- James R. Colston
A writer of ghost stories who argues passionately for the reader's duty to create the proper mood for his work.
- Marsh
A plain business man who challenges Colston's claims about the conditions needed to read a ghost story.
Key passages
“In solitude—at night—by the light of a candle. There are certain emotions which a writer can easily enough excite—such as compassion or merriment. I can move you to tears or laughter under almost any circumstances. But for my ghost story to be effective you must be made to feel fear—at least a strong sense of the supernatural—and that is a difficult matter.”
Colston insists that a ghost story requires specific conditions—being alone, at night, with only a candle—to truly evoke fear, unlike other emotions that can be stirred anywhere.
Colston emphasizes the unique demands of supernatural fiction.
“You would not dare—you have not the courage. You are brave enough to read me in a street car, but—in a deserted house—alone—in the forest—at night! Bah! I have a manuscript in my pocket that would kill you.”
Colston taunts Marsh, claiming he lacks the nerve to read a ghost story in a truly isolated setting, and boasts that his manuscript is powerful enough to be lethal.
Colston challenges Marsh's courage, setting up the story's central dare.