Answer:
The author is able to create tension and suspense through many ways in “The Monkey's Paw”. In the opening sentence of the story, we are given a quick description of the surrounding area. In gothic stories, they are usually set in a remote and isolated area, as in “The Monkey's Paw” the main setting is in a remote village where there were only two houses around. “Without, the night was cold and wet,” sets the scene of the story. A gloomy background has been given to set the surrounding area. The weather is similar to the feelings of the main characters.This is a good contrast, as the house seems to have a warm and safe atmosphere inside, even though the cottage is situated in a remote area of the country, with extremely unpleasant and harsh weather. The setting of part I begins with a common to most gothic horror stories. “The night was cold and wet but in the small parlor of a Laburnum villa…” The wet and cold atmosphere has an unpleasant effect on the reader as it makes them immediately feel uneasy about the situation. The use of the word, ‘but’ is used purposely to show there is more to the situation, implying that there might be a twist. The first paragraph has a great mood of routine across it, and this has been done to allow the reader to empathize with the characters, as it has been set in a fairly common area.
In addition, the transition between each part of the story shows large changes in mood. After Herbert retires for the night, the second part begins, which has a very usual, “dull” mood to it. The contrast of mood between the start of part II and the end of part I is very large and keeps the reader alert. The huge amount of tension built when Herbert gazes into the fire is dropped instantly, keeping the interest of the reader. The following day, the mood is very calm and relaxed, the reader may feel as if the mood were too normal, and become suspicious, waiting for some action to occur. Following the Gothic Horror genre, it is common that sunlight has a large impact on the mood of a story, as everything seems more controlled and calm during the day.
We learn that the White family obtains a monkey's paw that is supposed to grant the owner three wishes. However, the author uses foreshadowing in order to let us know that using it is not a good idea, and that something bad will come out of it.
The foreshadowing refers to a literary device in which the author gives us a hint of what is going to happen later in the story. This causes the reader to become more anxious and excited about the outcome of the story, increasing the suspense. An example of this occurs when Sergeant-Major Morris warns the family not to wish on the paw, as it is not wise to tempt fate.
Explanation:
I modified it to fit my vocabulary :)
