How is Tension built up in The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room
How is Tension built up in "The Monkey's Paw" and "The Red Room"? The success of any short story depends upon the skill with which the plot moves. The writer does not have the time to develop ideas that he has in a novel but at the same time all those elements must be present. The unusual element in "The Monkey's Paw" is how much the plot depends upon coincidence and irony. The successful use of these knits the story together and contributes to the tension. Examples of this are: The coincidence of the Monkey's Paw being in the possession of Morris. The fact it is given movement and a sort of life (personification) as wishes are made suggest a possible disaster. For instance the piano crashes, you hear the man cry out and the paw moves when a wish is made. The paw is clearly a bad omen. For instance, the third wish of the original owner was for death which suggests that the other two wishes brought unhappiness. Morris says, " I warn you of the consequences." Clearly here however innocent the wish, Morris
In "the Red Room" I think that the three old people build up a certain element of tension. These words all create a sort of mystery along with tension. He refers to the money and uses the words "before I come back" and he never does come back. In "The Red Room" the dialogue strikes me as unrealistic. The tension in "The Red Room" itself in my opinion is the most effective. His mother says of her son "when he comes home" again he never does come home. The effectiveness of this story is created by how the plot moves. In a story about the supernatural, you should expect a strong link between the language and the action so the language reinforces what is going on. The first is how they get the L200 (the fact that Hubert did not only die but the way he died, a horrible mutilated death) and the second the tension associated with the knocking at the door. Hubert himself says prophetically "I don't see the money and I bet I never shall. Another example of the old people being stereotypes and probably the best is the following, "as the second old man entered, more wrinkled, more aged even than the first, he supported himself by a single crutch, his eyes were covered by a shade, his lower lip half averted, hung pale and pink from his decaying yellow teeth".
Common topics in this essay:
L200 Hubert,
Monkey's Paw,
Paw Red,
L200 L200,
monkey's paw,
,
plot moves,
people stereotypes,
tragic irony,
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Acceptance Essays
