Poe, on the other hand, does not give us much of a description of the setting, only that most of the story is set during midnight. He focuses more on the main character, the narrator. Poe gives us a very in depth look at the narrators thoughts, and so creates the eerie atmosphere through this person’s thoughts, “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture… Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold, and so by degrees, very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the old man” The maddening yet composed tone of the narrator makes the reader feel uncomfortable, creating tension for the reader.
Suspense is also created in the Tell Tale Heart by repetitive images and sounds, “a low, dull, quick sound – much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.” Poe mentions a watch four times in the story; it is an allusion to the old man’s heart. Each tick of the clock represents the time closing in on the old man. Poe portrays this in the second mention of the watch, “He was still sitting up in the bed listening; – just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall”. Death watches are a type of beetle which live in damp walls and bang their head against the walls. Poe was most likely alluding to these as if the banging was a countdown to the old man’s death.
The Monkey’s Paw also uses repetitive images and sounds, “a knock, so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.” These knocks are repeated after Mr. or Mrs White say or do something, they act as a way of prolonging the story to create more suspense and tension. The Tell Tale Heart also creates suspense by prolonging the story by extending sentences, “And when my head was well in the room I undid the lantern cautiously -- oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)”. By adding in the “oh, so cautiously” and “(for the hinges creaked)” Poe keeps the reader immersed and wanting more, and therefore creates suspense.
Another way in which tension and suspense are created in the monkey’s paw and the Tell Tale Heart is through withholding information. In the Monkey's Paw Sergeant Major Morris reveals very little information, and keeps the Whites asking questions, “‘I have,’ he said quietly… ‘And did you really have the three wishes granted?’… ‘I did.’” His short answers keep the Whites and the reader puzzled and wanting to know more. Poe also withholds information to create tension and suspense, for instance he doesn’t say much about who the characters are or where the story is set, keeping the reader wanting to find out more.
The gothic and horror genres were becoming increasingly popular by the nineteenth century; The Monkey's Paw and The Tell Tale Heart are classics in these genres. Both stories use various different techniques to effectively portray suspense and tension to create the gothic/horror themes.