“The Whole Towns Sleeping” uses peaks and troughs in its’ tension and suspense build up. This is initially shown in the first two pages of the story. The first peak of tension is created when the Little Towns’ location is described “Deep far away form everything”. There is then a trough where Lavinia and Francine are heading off to the cinema in what is described as “A fine night for the movies.” This is then followed by another peak of tension when Grandma Hanlon mentions the “Lonely One” and exclaims “Won’t catch me out on no night like this one.” This is followed by “Not with Lonely One strangling women.” This creates tension because you know it, he or she, the Lonely One may strike again but leaves the reader unsure of when or where or even who it will strike.
Both stories are both set at night. This is because readers usually associate darkness with fear and danger. Darkness is associated with fear and danger because in darkness there is poor visibility or no visibility at all, so anything could strike at any moment. Darkness has also been used for many years in film and TV to create tension and suspense. This night time setting adds more tension throughout the whole of the two stories.
“The Whole Towns Sleeping” uses darkness to a greater extent as most of the tension is created whilst in the dark. For example in the cinema where the screening room goes into darkness the tension is created again.
In “The Whole Towns Sleeping” The fast speed of dialogue is also used to great effect to create tension and suspense to a greater extent where needed. An example of this is where Lavinia is entering her house whilst being followed by someone:
“The key fitted. “Unlock the door, quick, quick!”
The door opened.
“Now inside, slam it!”
She slammed the door”
“Now lock it, bar it, lock it!” She cried wretchedly.
“Lock it tight””
This fast staccato in text adds to the tension as actions become quicker and more frightening.
When tension and suspense is being built up the actions taking place are described in much more detail as the reader has to believe that those actions are actually taking place. This is done successfully in “The Whole Towns Sleeping” where Lavinia and Francine “Started up the side of the ravine on a stony path in the dark. They heard voices and stopped. Below, near the creek of the waters, a voice was murmuring “I’m the Lonely one, I’m the lonely one, I kill people.” Darkness is also referred to here again to add more tension to the scene.
The way fear is portrayed is different in each of the stories. In “The Whole Towns Sleeping” the fear follows Lavinia and Francine to ordinary day to day places. For example it follows the girls to the drug store where a man was asking about Lavinia.
In “A Terribly Strange Bed” the protagonist goes to unusual situations which create fear for example a gambling house. Every new room he enters into he always makes the wrong decisions and ends up in a worse situation than he originally was, for example he disregarded the advice to stop gambling and ended up in a life threatening situation.
Additionally the stories use language tricks to add more tension and suspense to their development. Within “A Terribly Strange Bed” there is a phrase that does not make sense-“Unfortunately I kept on winning.” This does not make sense as winning is usually associated with good fortune and not bad fortune. This creates uncertainty and puzzlement for the reader who can predict that something is going to go wrong but doesn’t know what.
“The Whole Towns Sleeping” uses repetition of words to create suspense, for example at the end of the story where Lavinia has run into her house repeating “safe.” This leads the reader into a false sense of security. When “Someone cleared their throat” the reader is shocked, not expecting this. Although the reader can predict what is going to happen at the stories conclusion, the writer leaves the reader in a cliff hanger ending thus challenging the readers’ imagination.
The way the killings are performed are similar in both stories. In “The Whole Towns Sleeping” Lavinia has a psychological smothering as she will not take the advice of her friends or authorities and this may cause her death. For example when she walks home she refuses to have Francine walk home with her and stay at her house, leaving her alone and vulnerable. This is also illustrated later on in the story when she refuses to walk home with Officer Kennedy as she thinks “I won’t walk the ravine with any man. How do I know who the lonely one is?” She also smothers herself psychologically with self pity because 8she is thirty seven and unmarried. She feels that she will never get married and never live life to the full. The reader is left confused not knowing who or what the Lonely One is, or perhaps is it just the loneliness in the girls that kill them.
In “A Terribly Strange Bed” there is a physical not psychological smothering which is done by a piece of machinery disguised as a four poster bed. This silent smothering action failed to kill the protagonist, to the relief of the reader.
In both stories the characters need the reader to be sympathetic to their plights. If this affinity is not obtained the reader will not respond to any danger that the protagonist is subjected to. This is achieved in both stories although it is created to a better effect in “The Whole Towns Sleeping”. In “The Whole Towns Sleeping” Lavinia is described as the “Prettiest maiden lady in town.” This beauty makes the reader feel attraction for her and want her to live. In “A Terribly Strange Bed” the protagonist is just a normal person trying to live a normal life although he is arrogant in the way he did not find it in himself to stop gambling letting his addiction take over his common sense. The reader still wants him to live although not as passionately as they do Lavinia.
As you can see both stories both create tension and suspense to a high standard using the writers’ choice of writing style and dramatic techniques to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat.
