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How Does Jon Krakauer Create Tension In Into Thin Air

Decent Essays

Jon Krakauer, the author of Into Thin Air, uses and creates tension and suspense throughout the book by the order of events, using devices such as pacing and foreshadowing, and by employing organizational patterns. Tension is a strain or tense feeling that the book gives to the reader and the author usually creates tension to raise the emotional level of the story. Suspense is the anticipated feeling the reader experiences when waiting for the outcome of the events of the story and the author creates suspense to keep the readers hooked. Jon Krakauer uses these literary effects to really connect with his reading audience. The order of events that Jon Krakauer sets up in Into Thin Air use the literary effects of tension and suspense. Tension is created throughout the …show more content…

An example of cause and effect is, “Given what unfolded over the next three hours, my failure to see that Harris was in serious trouble was a mistake that's likely to haunt me for the rest of my life.” Because Krakauer failed to notice Andy Harris was in trouble, he would be haunted for the rest of his life by his mistake. This particular scene also creates suspense because it leaves the reader anticipating what might happen to Andy Harris. An example of problem and solution the Jon Krakauer uses would be, “Badly shaken, Hutchinson went over to the Sherpas and asked Lhakpa Chhiri's advice. Lhakpa Chhiri, an Everest veteran respected by Sherpas and Westerners alike for his mountain savvy, urged Hutchinson to leave Weathers and Namba where they lay.” In this excerpt, the problem was Hutchinson deciding whether he should help Weathers and Namba, or leave them. The solution was when he seeked advice, and decided that he would leave them. This quote also creates tension because it raises the emotional level of the story by introducing the beginning of two possible

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