How does the author make use of drama and suspense effectively, in
The Steel Windpipe?
“The Steel Windpipe” Is the story of a youthful, recently qualified
Russian doctor, who is forced to perform his first genuine operation,
much sooner than he anticipated, when a young girl is unable to
breath. Throughout the story the doctor is portrayed as a very nervous
and hesitant young man. He is unsure of his ability to complete the
operation successfully; this shows him as a very self-conscious
person. This self doubt and uncertainty in the doctor increases the
suspense and in particular the tension in the story. The reader does
not have faith in the doctor’s abilities or judgments. This aspect of
insecurity entrances the reader and makes them want to know the
outcome of the doctor’s impending operation.
The story is set in Russia, amidst a fierce blizzard. Russia’s
northern regions are infamous for their cruel and unforgiving winters,
and having the story take place during this time period, adds to the
atmosphere and creates a sense of gloom and depression. The violent
and icy weather gives the reader a sense of foreboding and dread. The
weather is used as an effective tool in this circumstance to build the
tension, drama and suspense.
“I thought that blizzards only howled in novels. It appeared that they
howled in real life”
“Whirling snow; the houses were covered in it.”
The exact location of the doctor’s clinic is unknown; however from the
text we can gather that it is very remote and isolated.
“The nearest town, thirty-two miles away.”
The story begins with the doctor seated in his living area. He deeply
regrets choosing to study medicine, and he longs to return to the city
where he grew up....
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midwives and the feldsher. As the child recovers and is returned to
her mother the doctor realizes how terrible it might have been if he
had not been successful.
“I felt a cold sweat run down my back as I realized what it would have
been like if Lidka (the little girl) had died on the table.”
The author, Mikhail Bulgakov, uses and creates, tension and drama very
effectively in this story. He begins to build up tension almost from
the start of the story. The setting is very suitable for the story.
The sense of isolation leaves the doctor with no other option but to
operate. The blizzard also emphasizes this feeling of isolation.
During the operation the tension is at a climax. The doctor does not
seem to be having any luck. When the feldsher collapses and the
success of the operation is in jeopardy so close to completion the
tension is very great.
Each new morn.New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face (qtd in Lawson, Sandra. 2013)
Nearly everyone has a dream in life that they desperately want to accomplish. Without these dreams people wouldn’t strive to accomplish what makes them happy. Sometimes happiness might be hard to reach because of obstacles faced in life. The obstacles which one faces and how they can overcome them are remarked in Anne Lauren’s Carter short story “Leaving the Iron Lung”. In order for the author to show that one must overcome faced obstacles to pursue their dreams, she uses the protagonist transformation, contrasting characters and settings.
My breath was heavy as I was sprinting from them. I could hear them on my tail. But the only this that was racing through my mind was “I have the book.”
The major part of the story was mostly about the guilt of the narrator. The story is about a mad man that after killing his companion for no reason hears a never-ending heartbeat and lets out his sense of guilty by shouting out his confession.
what he has just done . It must have been one gruesome sight . “Then for a moment I could see
"I should never have believed that it would be such a close thing; but now
that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification”
I felt a strange shiver down my back as we realised that we had to
I felt the cold arctic blast of cold air conditioning hit my face like a concrete wall. I walked forcefully down the long well lit hallway. I walked past the state
hand into his pocket where his hand was and he had felt how cool and thin
“I realized that history would answer all the questions I had spent my life asking. It was
Suddenly I started weeping. I did not know why I wept for a while. I
I felt shocked and a huge amount of anger mounting up inside me. I walked
My hand shaking at every thought, a cold shiver ran down my spine as cold sweat trickled down the side of my forehead. I lifted my hand up and a strong smell hit my nose, it was the smell of blood. I lifted the object and shock hit me like lightening, fear displaced my sadness, sickness changed my bloodstream from blood to a thick liquid pus and vomit. I held the muscle with my right hand as my left hand was paralysed with shock. The adrenaline shot me forcing me to move but shock shattered me into thin slices that were impossible to put back again.
My stomach retched, my throat dry, had I got myself into this mess? A distant thud echoed across the cold, hard floor, ricocheting into my ear. Someone was coming.