There are several points during the plot of ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ which are very tense. These are points at which the main characters (Lavinia, Francine and Helen) believe that they are at risk from the murderer known only as the ‘Lonely One’ when in fact they are not. These occur whilst the characters are going to the cinema to see a film who’s very title is ‘Welcome Danger’. They all occur after Lavinia and Francine find the body of a victim of the ‘Lonely One’. This event provokes tension in the reader and makes the ‘false alarms’ that will follow seem much more frightening. The first of these comes when some children scare Francine and Lavinia by pretending to be the dead woman they found. This builds up tension because it provokes Francine into tears. The second comes when a man, Tom Dillon jumps out at Lavinia, Francine and Helen pretending to be the ‘Lonely One’. Another comes later in the story when the three believe the ‘Lonely One’ is sitting behind them in the cinema (he is, of course, not). The final comes when Lavinia is on her own walking home and sees a man who she thinks is the ‘Lonely One’ but who turns out to be a police officer. There are other points in the story which increase tension such as when the druggist tells Lavinia he gave her address to a strange man and when Lavinia is walking home alone through the ravine and is frantic and desperately frightened. The series of ‘false alarms’ make the reader think that the characters are not really at risk from the ‘Lonely One’ and makes the twist in the tale at the end when Lavinia finds a stranger in her own house all the more unexpected.
In ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ there are several points in the story that are used to increase tension. The first of these comes when the narrator (Mr Faulkner) decides to go to a dingy backstreet casino. This decision, taken very near to the start of the story, instantly makes the reader concerned for the character’s safety. As Mr Faulkner wins and wins in the casino, the reactions of the other gamblers, most of whom are villains, make the reader convinced that Mr Faulkner is at risk from them and is in great danger,
‘The silence was interrupted by a deep-muttered chorus of oaths and exclamations in different languages every time gold was shovelled across to my side of the table’
When Mr Faulkner has broken the bank at the casino, he is befriended by an old soldier who instantly wins his trust. The reader realises what Mr Faulkner does not in that anyone who befriends you when you have just won a lot of money should not be trusted and that Mr Faulkner is now in even greater danger. When Mr Faulkner makes the decision to spend the night in the casino, the reader’s tension increases due to the disbelief that Mr Faulkner has made such an unwise decision. Like ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’, ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ has moments of intense tension. By far the most tense moment is when Mr Faulkner is in a four-poster bed whose canopy lowers to murder its occupant. He is constantly aware of its downward motion but is too astonished to move. The fact that he only gets out of its way right at the very last moment builds up great tension. The final moments of tension come as Mr Faulkner makes his escape from the casino. The reader is tense because he is aware that if Mr Faulkner makes one mistake he will surely be murdered. The last moment of tension comes as Mr Faulkner makes his way to the police station through the thief ridden Parisian streets, at night, carrying with him the large amount of money he won at the casino.
In ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’, the increase in tension is directly related to the downfall in the mental state of the main character, Lavinia. At the start of the story, Lavinia is described as being,
‘cool as mint ice cream.’
She is bored with her life and seeks more excitement. Throughout the story she gets this excitement and finds she can’t cope with it. Her search for excitement leads her into great danger. She is foolish and refuses offers of safety from her friends and from a police officer. This is partly because she is in search of excitement and partly because as her fear increases she loses her trust in others. Towards the end of the story when she is alone in the ravine, she is so terrified she becomes frantic and irrational, her mind flicking from one thing to the next in the blink of an eye,
‘Oh, God please let me be safe! If I get home safe I’ll never go out alone, I was a fool, let me admit it, a fool!’
In the end, Lavinia’s search for excitement eventually brings about her downfall. Other characters who help to build up tension in ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ are Francine who is always nervous and on edge and is, at points in the story provoked into hysteria and the druggist who reveals to Lavinia that he gave her address to a strange man.
In some ways, the main character in ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ is similar to Lavinia in that he too is in search of more excitement in his life. He makes the decision to go to the backstreet casino himself without the influence of others and as he is rich, he does not go out of necessity. Like Lavinia, he is foolish and refuses his friend when he asks him to leave the casino. Unlike Lavinia who becomes more and more aware of what danger she is in as the story progresses, he becomes more and more naïve and blind to danger. Lavinia loses her trust in others however Mr Faulkner trusts people who it is obvious he should not. Like Lavinia, he finds that when he is in a very dangerous situation he cannot handle the fear. This is illustrated when he is in the four-poster bed and the canopy comes down toward him. He is paralysed by fear and cannot move out of the way until the very last second,
‘I looked up shuddering, helpless, panic-stricken, beneath the hideous machinery for murder which was advancing closer and closer to suffocate me where I lay.’
In the end, unlike Lavinia, he is lucky and stays alive by chance because the villains who drugged his drink put too much in causing insomnia as opposed to a deep sleep. Another character in the story who builds up tension is the old soldier. He seems to be a very dodgy person who one should not trust yet he is kind to Mr Faulkner by picking up the money he dropped and by buying him drinks. He helps to build up tension because he provokes indecision in the reader who does not know what to think of him.
‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ is written in an open informal style. It uses modern day to day language and as it is set in America contains certain ‘Americanisms’ such as ‘sidewalks’ (pavements) and ‘druggist’ (chemist). It is written in the third person. The story contains little description and a lot of action however there are vivid descriptions of the ravine which help to build up tension. The plot is conveyed to the reader by large amounts of dialogue. In the section where Lavinia is walking home alone through the ravine, much tension is created by her thoughts and feelings written in short, sharp, fast sentences,
‘ “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!” ‘
These help to build up a sense of panic and fear and form the most scary part of the story.
The language in ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ is much more complex and formal using advanced vocabulary. It is written in an educated manner and in old-fashioned or standard English. It also contains some French which is further evidence of a well-educated author. Unlike ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’, it is written in the first person and in the style of a narrator recounting an event from his past. It contains much less dialogue than ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ but much more description. The most important description is the main point of tension in the story. This comes as the bed canopy lowers to murder Mr Faulkner,
‘Was I mad? drunk? dreaming? giddy again? or was the top of the bed really moving down - sinking slowly, regularly, silently, horribly right down through the whole length and breadth - right down upon me as I lay underneath?’
This, like the end section of ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ shows the character’s thoughts and feelings but forms a vivid description of what is going on as opposed to relating someone’s reaction to a scary situation.
Both stories attempt to provoke a sense of tension, suspense and fear in those who read them. Both authors use different techniques. In ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’, the point of tension comes as Lavinia returns home, alone through the ravine. The author uses short, rapid sentences to make the reader feel the panic and trepidation Lavinia is experiencing. In ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’, the reader is given a very clear idea of what is going on by the author’s vivid descriptions. The main point of tension comes as Mr Faulkner finds himself in a four-poster bed whose canopy lowers to murder its occupant. This creates a sense of fear and tension in the reader as he/she is left in no doubt about what exactly is going on and realises what a dangerous situation Mr Faulkner is in. Personally, I prefer the style that ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ is written in because it lets the reader know exactly what danger Mr Faulkner is in, using description to make sure he/she realises. ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ is not as clear and defined. At the main point of tension (as Lavinia walks home) it is not made clear whether she is in danger or is just overreacting. Some people may find this adds to the effect if fear as it provokes a sense of uncertainty but I do not.
