Dixon 1
Rina Dixon
Davenport
English 9H
10 / 15 / 16
Quarter One Essay
Many authors use suspense as a tool to keep readers hooked on a story. There are many
different forms of suspense in many different forms of literature. Some of these include
foreshadowing in The Monkeys Paw, imagery and pacing in The Cask of Amontillado, and
dramatic irony in The Tell Tale Heart. These types of suspense effects the reader by keeping
the reader absorbed in the story.
The first type of suspense is seen in The Monkeys Paw by W. W. Jacobs as
foreshadowing. This is shown when Jacobs writes, He wanted to show that fate ruled peoples
lives, and those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow (Page 2). This text foreshadows the
death of Herbert White. It asks the question, what does he mean by sorrow? This question keeps
the reader focused, and keeps them reading the story. It is shown again when he writes, I dont
know what the first two were, but the third was for death, thats how I got the paw (Page 2).
This quote asks, what could possibly be bad enough to wish for death? The quote pulls the reader
in, making them continue.
Another form of suspense, imagery and pacing, is seen in Edgar Allen Poes The Cask
Dixon 2
of Amontillado. The reader can see this when Poe writes, He looked uncertainly around him,
trying to see through the thick darkness which pushed around us. Here our brightly burning lights
seemed weakened. But our eyes soon became used to the darkness. We could see the bones of
the dead lying in large piles around the walls. The stones of the walls were wet and cool (Page
70). This is strong suspense that keeps the reader captivated by the slow, drawn out pacing and
descriptive details. Then, the reader can see it again when Poe writes, We went on, deeper and
deeper into the Earth. Finally we arrived at a vault in which the air was cold and heavy that our
lights almost died. Against three of the walls were piles of bones higher than our heads (Poe,
71). This makes the reader wonder, why does he need a vault? The descriptive details of the
vault paint a perfect picture in your head that leaves the reader awestruck by why he would need
a vault. The imagery and drawn out pacing makes the reader lean in closer, wanting to know
exactly what happens next.
The third form of suspense is in another work by Edgar Allen Poe, The Tell Tale Heart.
In The Tell Tale Heart, we can see dramatic irony, or when the reader knows something that a
character doesnt. We see this first when Poe writes, And so, I finally decided I had to kill the
old man and close that eye forever! (Page 65). This creates suspense by telling the reader he is
going to kill the old man, while the old man is unsuspecting of any danger. We see this again
after he kills the old man, when Poe says, As if playing playing a game with them I asked them
to sit down and talk for a while (Page 67). This quote creates a lot of suspense because we know
that the old mans body is under the floorboards, but the police officers dont. The reader
continues to fixated on the story and what will happen next.
Dixon 3
There are many different forms of suspense in many other pieces of literature, and this is
only a select few. Suspense is used to pull a reader in and keep them reading and is usually very
effective. Overall, foreshadowing, imagery and pacing, and dramatic irony in The Monkeys
Paw, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Tell Tale Heart are types of suspense that effect
the reader by keeping them absorbed in the story.
Dixon 4
Works Cited
Jacobs, W. W. The Monkey's Paw. Mahway, NJ: Troll Associates, 1982. Print.
Poe, Edgar Allan, and Byron Glaser. The Cask of Amontillado. Mankato, MN: Creative
Education, 1980. Print.
Harper, Benjamin, Dennis Calero, and Edgar Allan Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart. North Mankato,
MN: Stone Arch, 2013. Print.
