Suspense In The Landlady And A Tell-Tale Heart

Some authors use suspense to make their readers more intrigued and to create a feeling of wanting to know more. In “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, Billy Weaver is looking for a place to spend the night and finds himself in front of a bed and breakfast. However, the Landlady, owner of the bed and breakfast, is a murderer. However in “A Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator originally wants to kill the old man because of his eye the beat of the old man's heart is what drives the narrator over the edge. But, the police came and the guilt and the sound of his own heartbeat made the narrator confess to killing the old man. Therefore suspense is depicted in both Roald Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady” and Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “A Tell-Tale Heart” through the use of tone and character development.

Tone is used to create suspense in both short stories.

In “The Landlady,” Dahl uses tone to create suspense at the very end of the story by writing, “’Temple,’ Billy said. ‘Gregory Temple. Excuse my asking, but haven’t there been any other guests here except them in the last two or three years?’ Holding her teacup high in one hand, inclining her head slightly to the left, she looked up at him out of the corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile.’No, my dear,’ she said. ‘Only you.’” This shows suspense by inferring that Billy is going to die. In “A Tell-Tale Heart” Poe uses tone to create suspense by saying, “TRUE!-NERVOUS--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses--not destroyed-- not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily--how calmly I can tell you the whole story.” This quote illustrates how Poe uses tone to create suspense because the tone of the narrators voice makes the reader want to keep

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Character development creates suspense in both short stories. Dahl uses character development to build suspense in the story by saying,“’Of course,’ she said. ‘And have you met my little Basil as well?’ She nodded towards the dachshund curled up so comfortably in front of the fire. Billy looked at it. And suddenly, he realized that this animal had all the time been just as silent and motionless as the parrot. He put out a hand and touched it gently on the top of its back. The back was hard and cold, and when he pushed the hair to one side with his fingers, he could see the skin underneath, greyish-black and dry and perfectly preserved.” This shows suspense because in the beginning of the story, the Landlady is nothing but sweet to Billy. However, by the end of the story Billy realizes that the Landlady is a murderer and that she murdered the two other boys. Poe uses character development as well, "’Villains!’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed!--tear up the planks!-- here, here!--it is the beating of his hideous heart!’” This is where the guilt gets to be too much for the narrator to handle so, he confesses to the police that he had murdered the old man. In the beginning of the story, the narrator said watch how calmly I can tell you the whole story. But, by the end of the story is true behavior is revealed. Both Dahl and Poe use tone and character development to build suspense.
Thus, suspense is depicted in both Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady” and Poe’s short story, “A Tell-Tale Heart” through the use of tone and character development. Suspense is a big part of both stories. Both of the shrew short stories use the Spence to both keep the reader intrigued and to also, create imagery. Dahl and Poe both create suspense to keep the reader hooked.

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