Suspense In The Landlady And The Monkeys Paw

Short stories with suspense tend to draw the reader in and they want to continue to read it. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady” the main character, Billy Weaver walks into a seemingly safe Bed and Breakfast and he quickly realizes he won’t get out alive. In W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkeys Paw” Mr. White makes a wish, soon enough he realizes that the monkey’s paw is a danger to him and his family. Therefore, in both the stories, "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl and "The Monkeys Paw" by W.W. Jacobs suspense is depicted through the use of tone and imagery.

For one thing, in both of the stories suspense is conveyed through the use of tone. In "The Landlady" When Billy Weaver first spots the Bed and Breakfast, he assumes it to be a safe place to stay. Dahl

In "The Monkeys Paw" Mr. White makes a wish for money. He didn’t know it at first but he made the mistake of killing his son. He was told that there will be consequences but he ignored it. Jacobs creates a suspense through imagery when he states " The knocking stopped suddenly, though it still echoed in the house...A cold wind rushed up the stairs and a long, loud wail of disappointment and misery broke from his wife." This passage reveals that the mother is crestfallen that her son, Herbert didn’t come back. She had her hopes up at the thought of her son coming back but when the knocking stopped and it was silent she grew heartbroken and wanted to see him again. Alternatively, Dahl writes "...the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the hearth. On the carpet in front of the fire, a pretty little dachshund was curled up asleep with its nose tucked into its belly." Furthermore, the author shows suspense through imagery when Billy Weaver assumes it to be a comforting place to stay. He sees a cozy dog, but what he doesn’t know is that the dog is dead and he will soon be also. Based on the two examples imagery and tone play a big part in conveying suspense.

All in all, In both Dahl's "The Landlady" and Jacobs' "The Monkeys Paw" suspense is depicted through the use of tone and imagery. The two stories show that you need to be careful with your choices. Billy took the chance and stayed at the place with the