Use Of Suspense In And Then There Were None And W. Jacobs

How are the genres mystery and suspense represented in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and W.W. Jacobs “The Monkey’s Paw”? The two genres, mystery and suspense, moves the reader to feeling excitement and curiosity. This growing tension causes the reader to wonder what will happen next. In other words, these two literary devices keep the story gripping. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and W.W. Jacob’s “The Monkey’s Paw” use mystery and suspense to leave the reader begging for more. While both And Then There Were None and “The Monkey’s Paw” fall under the genre of mystery and suspense, each piece of writing is unique in regard to foreshadowing, motif, and irony.

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is about ten

strangers who are lured to an isolated island, where a message accuses each person of unpunishable murder. As the story disentangles, each of the guests dies in unconventional ways. In the method foreshadowing, an author hints at events that are fated to take place later in the novel. The literary device foreshadowing is presented in the book when everyone arrives at Soldier Island. The fact that Soldier Island is far out, and it has a sinister appearance insinuates that a series of unfortunate events will occur. The old man’s warning to Henry Blore on the train about Judgment Day additionally alludes to the fact that inauspicious crises will take place: “Watch and pray. The day of judgement is at hand” (Christie 16). This quote is significant to the story; as it reveals that indeed something disastrous will occur. When using motif, an author uses a reoccurring device that can help develop the story. And Then There Were None uses the image of Soldiers as their motif. “What fun! They’re the ten little soldier boys of the nursery rhyme, I suppose. The Ten Little Soldier Boys are used in the nursery rhyme and the name of the Island: “Soldier Island. I suppose that’s the idea. In my bedroom the rhyme is framed and hung up over the mantelpiece” (Christie 44). These quotes are important to the story, as the murderer’s methods of homicide follow the nursery rhyme exactly. The device irony shows contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens. In this novel, irony is depicted when the methods of death follow the poem exactly: “As she passed the mantelpiece, she looked up at the framed doggerel…She thought to herself: ‘It’s horrible…just like this evening...’” (Christie 89) This quote is especially meaningful to the story, because it allows the reader to predict how the other murders will take place. Irony is additionally portrayed when the murder is revealed. This is because the criminal was one of the victims. “They will find ten dead bodies and an unsolved problem on Soldier Island. Signed, Lawrence Wargraves” (Christie 300). The fact that the murder was a victim drives the reader to wonder what happens next. This further defines what suspense is. These methods of literature are depicted multiple times throughout And Then There Were None, just as W.W. Jacobs does in “The Monkey’s Paw”.

W.W.

Jacobs’ s “The Monkey’s Paw” tells of Mr. White who takes a sergeant’s almost incinerated monkey’s paw and wishes on it, not heeding the sergeant’s warning. This tale uses foreshadowing, just as Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None does. W.W. Jacobs uses foreshadowing when the sergeant first arrives. The sergeant tosses the paw in the fire, but Mr. White quickly grabs it. The sergeant doesn’t throw it back, but before he leaves the sergeant states, “Better let it burn…if you keep it, don’t blame me for what happens. Pitch it on the fire again, like a sensible man” (Jacobs 3). This foreshadows that what Mr. White wishes for will not turn out the way he intended. W.W. Jacobs additionally uses this technique when the son, Herbert, after Mr. White wishes for money, says, “Well, I don’t see the money, and I bet I never shall.” (Jacobs 4). This foreshadows that Herbert “won’t be around” to prove his point. Motif is presented several times in this story however, unlike And Then There Were None, which uses it noticeably, “The Monkey’s Paw” uses it subtly. While And Then There Were None uses soldiers to display motif, “The Monkey’s Paw” uses a number. Throughout the plot the number three appears. Though nothing is noted about it, the number three is the evident motif. A few examples are: the three wishes the monkey’s paw grants, the trio of family members mentioned in the story, the third owner of the monkey’s paw, the three knocks on the door, the three begs made by Mrs.

White to rectify her son’s death, and the three breaks in the story. The saying “Bad things come in three’s,” which means that a threesome of unfortunate events can be expected, applies to the story as well. The literary device known as irony is well portrayed in “The Monkey’s Paw” when each of the wishes are granted. In “The Monkey’s Paw” the theme of irony adds to the eerie effect the story emits, however, And Then There Were None uses it clearer than “The Monkey’s Paw”. “I wish for two hundred pounds…Has anything happened to Herbert? …He was caught in the machinery…In consideration of your son’s services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation…How much? …Two hundred pounds” (Jacobs 4, 6, and 7). This defines irony, as Mr. White’s wish for money results in an unexpected turn. Now that the differences of these stories have been stated, their similarities will be discussed.

Though these two pieces of literature use the themes of foreshadowing, motif, and irony differently, they share similarities.

Both stories similarly utilize not only foreshadowing, motif, and irony, but additionally they use mystery and suspense to convey their message. Both stories use foreshadowing in a way that unfortunate events are bound to occur. Each piece of writing uses motif in a form of number, because just as “The Monkey’s Paw” uses the number three, And Then There Were None uses ten little soldier boys to represent the ten victims that occupy the island. These stories use irony correspondingly, as both deals with death. These literary works share similar moods, as both use dark themes to keep the story

moving.

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and W.W. Jacobs “The Monkey’s Paw” use similar literary devices in different ways, resulting in similar attributes, but different plots. So far foreshadowing, motif, and irony have been discussed, however the similarities and differences expand from there. This information is important, because it further defines the vast categories that are mystery and suspense.