When the old solider first enters the story suspense is built up “As the gate banged to loudly and heavy footsteps came towards the door.”
The introduction to new character builds up tension by not telling the reader who is trying to enter the house.
The sergeant major is reluctant to explain what the monkey’s paw is and tries to make out there is nothing special about the monkey’s paw.
“It’s just an ordinary little paw dried to a little mummy”
The word mummy builds up tension because they are associated with evil. The fact he is trying to avoid the subject makes the reader suspicious. The sergeant major gives Mr White advice
“Better let it burn” and “if you must wish …. Wish for something sensible”
Mr White thinks it’s a joke
“Don’t you think you might wish for four pairs of hands for me?”
In most horror stories there is usually a mad man that no one believes so this will cause tension to build up.
When the sergeant major leaves Mr White gets a fright.
“It mowed he cried”
This builds up tension because the monkeys paw is alive. This is also a warning to Mr White.
When morning comes the tension disappears as if the light saves them from the night this causes the tension to fade.
“In the brightness of the wintry sun next morning as it streamed over the table, he laughed at his fears.”
The light seems to bring order and calmness to the house and drives away the fear.
The visitor gives the reader a suspicious feeling.
“She was watching the mysterious movement of a man outside, who, peering in an undecided fashion at the house appeared to be trying to make up his mind to enter …. She noticed that the stranger was well dressed, and wore a silk hat of glossy newness”
Suspense is built because the reader doesn’t know who it is.
“Three times he passed the gate, and walked on again. The forth time he stood with his hand upon it”
No one knows who it is this builds tension because he is acting in a strange manner and it builds suspense because you don’t know who it is.
When the smartly dressed man told them
“They admit no liability but in consideration of your son’s service they wish to present a sum of compensation” of “two hundred pounds”
It creates tension because Mr, Mrs White realise the monkey’s paw works.
A week after Hebert’s death Mrs White thinks of wishing her son back to life. Tension is built because the reader knows the consequences every wish has. But when Mr White makes the wish and it appears to fail the suspense and tension ends. When the old man’s match went out for no reason
“At the foot of the stairs the match went out”
The match went out for no reason this adds fear and tension and the old man is plummeted in darkness. Which is a source of fear. The tension is heightened as an unknown being knocks at the door all of a sudden in the middle of the night. The knocks are repeated each getting louder.” A third knock sounded through the house the forth woke Mrs White who was upstairs. Mrs White shouts I forgot it was to miles away.”
A vivid image of Herbert walking home springs to the readers mind as it was said earlier in the story.
“The Whites buried their son to miles away”
The father rushes to find the paw as he realised the horrific act he has just committed.
“Her husband was on his hands and knees groping wildly on the floor in search of the paw.”
While his wife is trying to let Herbert in.
“The bolt and she cried loudly I can’t reach it”
There is a sudden contrast, before the story plodded along but now the story is full of action the husband is looking for the paw. The wife is trying to open the door and all the time the corpse is knocking on the door.
“A perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house.”
This is a frantic scene where tension and suspense is built up for the final time. The husband finds the paw and wishes Hebert back to the graveyard using the third and final wish.
“The knocking ceases suddenly”
This story provides an effective use of vocabulary to create and build suspense and tension but it leaves the reader wondering what may happen to the monkey’s paw in the future.