How effectively does Will F Jenkins build up suspense and tension in the short story Uneasy
“Uneasy Homecoming” is a suspense and tension saturated short story written by Will F. Jenkins. The story is set in a house on an isolated peninsula of land out in a bay at night. ... By preying on the readers’ primordial fears and feelings, he creates an empathy with the character and I aim to show through my analysis of the text that through his tapestry of: narrative voice, setting, style and characterisation, he successfully builds up suspense and tension. The use of narrative perspective is fundamental to creating suspense and tension in the story as by switching between narrative and the third person it creates both of these factors. Suspense is created by not knowing what is going on and what is about to happen, while tension is created by having specific points of information which serve to worry the reader about what is happening. To create these two things the author alternates between Connie’s perspective for suspense and narrative for tension. The author reveals Connie’s fears and then backs them up by switching to narrative to comment on something that Connie can’t see to the reader. ... By giving the reader information unbeknown to the character the author is able to build up tension as the reader wants to know more about the danger facing Connie. ... The author starts off the story by setting the mood by saying: “Connie began to have the feeling of dread and uneasiness”. ... This sets the tone and mood of the story by having the reader think in a particular way from the outset. However, the reader is not told why she is scared or if it is a substantial fear, meaning that there is a build up of inquisitive suspense for the cause and nature of her fear to be revealed. This is the beginning of a crescendo of suspense, which intensifies until it reaches its climax and keeps the readers’ attention until its conclusion. One important technique Jenkins uses successfully to create the atmosphere of fear in the story is setting. His setting of the house and the time of day the events take place under is essential to making the suspense and tension work. ... This is emphasised because the story is set in Connie’s house, which is normally a place that we feel secure and comfortable in.