Gold Coin Synthesis A gold coin intrigues the reader to keep on moving throughout the book while not becoming inattentive from the storyline. Gold coins can appear as a small scene, fact, or even telling a quote. Conrad uses gold coins as a literary device throughout chapter 9-13 in the book the Secret Agent as a cliffhanger and as a story engine. The author had shown that the use of gold coins could intrigue readers into what is going to happen next throughout the book. Conrad himself writes, “It was not of going out in the evening that Mr. Verloc was thinking.” (Conrad 160) This quote intrigues the reader by making them interested in what Mr. Verloc was thinking about. As for the following quote, “From time to time he eyed his wife through the door.” (Conrad 188) it makes the reader wonder why Mr. Verloc is trying to be …show more content…
In the following excerpts “Mrs. Verloc spread out with care the scanty table-cloth… and suddenly stopped in her methodical proceedings.” (Conrad 159) and “… pulling out the piece of cloth fate had presented him… he offered it to Mrs. Verloc for inspection.” (Conrad 170). These two quotes make readers wonder how Mrs. Verloc is going to respond. The first quote has stated that she had suddenly stopped which makes readers wonder why she had stopped what she was doing. As for the second quote, it makes readers wonder how Mrs. Verloc is going to act when she have inspected the random cloth. In addition to the use of gold coins the folllowing quote state “…the gold circlet of the wedding ring on Mrs. Verloc’s left hand glittered exceedingly… dropped in a dust-bin.” (Conrad 175). This quote is also related to a cliffhanger because the reader is wondering why Mrs. Verloc ring dropped into the dust bin and how the relationship with her husband