Suspense as a Literary Device in Ray Bradbury's Stories

Ray Bradbury often uses the element of suspense in his stories to keep them interesting. Suspense is used in stories to create attentiveness and make the reader uncertain about the outcome. Since “suspense is a genuine, distinct element in our emotional framework,” it is often used to hook the reader and then draw them into the story and create momentum for the plot. Although the goal is clear in suspenseful stories, suspense creates many ways in which the problem can be solved. The first story I read was called “The Town Where no one got Off” and it had suspense built into it throughout the story. The beginning was very odd because of the mystery of a man knowing there was “something in that town worth seeing” and his struggle to find it.

Since everyone thought they were in a safe environment, they did not see a problem with the children playing outside. Mink told her mother about her friend, Drill, but she still didn't think anything was weird until she got a call from her friend who explained that her child was doing the exact same thing. This is where the suspense starts because you begin to see that something is wrong. When zero hour finally came, there were explosions, not just where Mink dug a hole, “there were other explosions in other yards on other streets” (page 5) this caused a massive panic and Mink’s parents decided it was best to hide. The suspense gathered when they decided to hide in the attic and they could hear footsteps in their homes. They feared for their lives and they were unaware of the outcome if the things downstairs found them. The suspense was at its highest when the footsteps approached the door of the attic and the ending was left uncertain. Suspense can be used anywhere in a story and still be an effective part of the arrangement of the story. For instance, it was used all throughout the story, “The Town Where no one got Off” and it was only used toward the end of the stories “The Veldt” and “Zero Hour” and was still a major part of each story. Bradbury often uses an uncertain ending in his stories to keep you guessing while also adding to the