Steinbeck uses various techniques to create tension on pages 74-76, this creates suspense between the reader and the characters and allows the reader to sense the suspension going in the scene and this keeps the reader hooked.
The first techniques used by the writer is the use of repetition, to emphasis the mood in the scene. The word ‘silence’ is being repeated several times. “the silence came into the room. And the silence lasted” is a personification used to describe the silence approaching the room, in the scene where Candy is miserably waiting for a loud bang in the distance which signifies that his beloved dog was shot. This create tension because it lets the reader think about the mood in the surrounding atmosphere that the characters are facing.
Steinbeck uses a series of short sentences to create tension just before the dog was shot and after. The use of short sentences such as “A shot sounded in the distance” creates tension because the shorter the sentence, the more it keeps the reader waiting, thus, creating more tension. This evokes that there is a long pause after the incident that Candy’s dog was already shot. “Carlson’s footsteps died away. The silence came into the room. And the silence
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Got to get some tar on it.’ His voice trailed off. It was silent outside.” This creates tension in the bunk house because there is a contrast between the loud and quiet. It was loud, then there was silence, this suggests that something climactic is going to happen. Slim is trying to tear away the tension inside the bunkhouse but instead ended up creating more tension. Another contrast was when the men were falsely trying to be cheerful to minimize the tension but Candy refuses to talk to the men and he “rolled slowly over and faced the way and lay silent” this shows that the contrast between the loud and quiet surroundings created the tension and continues to build up as the dog is being