The Tell Tale Heart Suspense Analysis

Through the use of suspense, authors can truly draw the reader into the story. Suspense in the case of gives the reader the sense of apprehension about was is going to happen next and anticipation. Two stories where suspense is depicted is Roald Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady” and Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Tell Tale Heart”. Roald Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady,” is about a young man, Billy Weaver who wants to find somewhere to stay for a night for cheap, since he is traveling for business. However, when he comes across a cheap bed and breakfast, the Landlady there, ends up acting very strange and Billy only uncovers some of her secrets, before it is too late for him to escape. In Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Tell Tale Heart,” is about someone, the narrator, who finds an old man’s eye immensely disturbing. After of seven nights of attempting murderer, on the eighth night, not only does the

W. Jacobs' short story, "The Tell Tale Heart" to depict suspense is repetition. In “The Landlady”, the Dahl writes, “…small notice that was there. BED AND BREAKFAST, it said. BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST.” As a result of having the phrase “bed and breakfast” repeated, the reader can uncover the fact that author wanted to emphasize that Billy was drawn to the notice, for a peculiar reason, therefore depicting suspense. To illustrate, in “The Tell Tale Heart”, Poe chooses to write, “I felt that I must scream or die!--and now--again!--hark! louder! louder! louder!” Subsequent to the repetition used when the narrator says “louder” multiple times, the reader can identify that the author is accentuating how the narrator can not handle his own guilt anymore and does not know how to deal with, thus creating tension that leads to suspense. Despite the many ways to depict suspense, in Dahl’s and Poe’s short stories the most prominent are foreshadowing and