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How To Build Suspense In Lord Of The Flies

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William Golding's Lord of the Flies, is a well-known novel, about what happens when the order in a group collapses. A group of British schoolboys crash land on an uninhabited island, in an unknown location. With no adults to "rule" over them, the young males, attempt to make a civilization of their own. The order in this group quickly collapses, as chaos and breaks out. The author, in pages 197-198 creates a dominant mood of suspense using literary elements such as imagery and diction. Early on in the passage, Ralph is hiding from the savage; while he is lying there, he hears the approaching sounds of the fire. “The drum-roll [of the fire] that he had thought was left behind was nearer. Couldn’t a fire outrun a galloping horse?” (197). Ralph’s fear only multiplies as he hears the approaching fire, that he thinks was miles behind him. Now he has to worry about the fact that the fire could easy spring upon him, like a mighty tiger on his prey. “Now the fire was nearer, those volleying shots were great limbs, trunks even [of the trees], bursting” (198). The word choice of the author, to say the bursting would show that the booming of the trunks burning, would only add to the fear of the twelve-year-old boy. …show more content…

However, the noises in the forest are almost reason for him to ignore these instincts. “The cries, suddenly nearer jerked him up…/Ralph gripped his fingers into the earth. Be ready now, just in case” (198). The sounds of the forest make Ralph realize that danger is in the area, and he might not survive. He now knows that he needs to be prepared to run, and escape the danger of the savage. “The seconds lengthened…/Now he’s seen you. He’s making sure…/A stick sharpened at both ends” (199). Now that the savage has seen Ralph, and is making sure it is him, Ralph knows how important it is to him to listen to his

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