How Does Harvey Build Suspense In August Heat

In “August Heat” by W.F Harvey shows a series of coincidences in a suspenseful way. This dark and mysterious story takes place in the summer which makes a human being state of mind out of place due to the hotness and unclear thinking. During the summer, more murders occur since the person does not think straight from the heat making them cranky and expressing actions that are not the friendliest. The author creates suspense through out the story by being in first person, foreshadowing and a sudden change leaving the reader in a cliff hanger and wanting to read more. The first component of the story that leads to suspense that the point of view is in first person. The first person in this story is named James Clarence Within Croft, who is forty years old is an artist but not a successful one. The Author says he is not a good painter making him a usual person, who can experience events that are common and not so

The obvious one being him meeting Atkinson and have a connection with the gravestone and the date. At the end of the novel, “Atikinson has sent his wife to bed. He himself is busy sharpening some tools at a little oil stone, smoking one of my cigars the while, “ which could show that these were Withencroft’s last minutes before he would face death by a man who he had just met. It would be another coincidence as to Atkinson sending his wife to bed, and Withencroft being left alone with Atinkinson while sharpens tools. The author was not clear with the information he provided but with the small details given, you could only assume that a death has occurred that day. This goes back with the unfinished date, in wanting to prove that the day is more important than the year. Withencroft knows he will be gone in less than an hour but does not prevent it the situation and just lets what is going to happen