suspense and tension young goodman brown
Tatiana Paredes
English 220
October 16, 2012
Suspense and Tension
Tension, suspense and surprise are all essential elements in a story. This is because they not only draw readers’ attention to a story and compel them to continue reading, but they also increase the readers’ emotions as they anticipate with uncertainty on what is going to happen next in the story. Suspense can operate in any in any situation that has a lead-up to a dramatic moment or a significant event, with tension being the principal emotion felt as part of the situation. Therefore, this paper shall seek to explain the effects of suspense and tension in The Monkey’s Paw by Jacob, The Queen of Spades by Pushkin, and Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne.
There are several techniques that have been used to create suspense and tension in the story, The Monkey’s Paw. From the onset of the story, the language used not only set the story scene, but it also conveys the mood of the story. For instance, the assertion, “…the night was cold and wet…” (Jacob 1) intrigues the reader since it creates a pathetic fallacy that the story is going to be based on evil. This creates tension just as the story begins. The language used makes the story fast paced, and this also plays a dominant deal in creating suspense and tension in the story. The narrator has used words such as ‘slushy’ and ‘beastly’ (Jacob 6). The words represent Gothic genre; thus, demonstrating that the characters and objects have been described negatively.
Jacob has also used intriguing character and vague dialogue to create tension. For instance, Sergeant Major Morris’s discomposure while speaking about the paws draws readers’ attention and keeps them hooked. The readers’ are able to understand the mysterious history that surrounds the strange talisman. Tension increases exponentially when Morris throws the monkey’s paw into the fire. At this point, the military man’s hatred and true fear of the paw come to light. The entire story’s climax
English 220
October 16, 2012
Suspense and Tension
Tension, suspense and surprise are all essential elements in a story. This is because they not only draw readers’ attention to a story and compel them to continue reading, but they also increase the readers’ emotions as they anticipate with uncertainty on what is going to happen next in the story. Suspense can operate in any in any situation that has a lead-up to a dramatic moment or a significant event, with tension being the principal emotion felt as part of the situation. Therefore, this paper shall seek to explain the effects of suspense and tension in The Monkey’s Paw by Jacob, The Queen of Spades by Pushkin, and Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne.
There are several techniques that have been used to create suspense and tension in the story, The Monkey’s Paw. From the onset of the story, the language used not only set the story scene, but it also conveys the mood of the story. For instance, the assertion, “…the night was cold and wet…” (Jacob 1) intrigues the reader since it creates a pathetic fallacy that the story is going to be based on evil. This creates tension just as the story begins. The language used makes the story fast paced, and this also plays a dominant deal in creating suspense and tension in the story. The narrator has used words such as ‘slushy’ and ‘beastly’ (Jacob 6). The words represent Gothic genre; thus, demonstrating that the characters and objects have been described negatively.
Jacob has also used intriguing character and vague dialogue to create tension. For instance, Sergeant Major Morris’s discomposure while speaking about the paws draws readers’ attention and keeps them hooked. The readers’ are able to understand the mysterious history that surrounds the strange talisman. Tension increases exponentially when Morris throws the monkey’s paw into the fire. At this point, the military man’s hatred and true fear of the paw come to light. The entire story’s climax
Citations: c) Omissions and Additions to quotes 6) The instructions in the prompt are followed correctly. (30 points) Grade: 80