Tension in Well's Stories

Literature is a very explicit term that includes so many time honored written masterpieces. A narrative would be exceedingly dull if nothing ever occurred to the characters in a specific surrounding. One of the key elements that affects the plotline are the various major settings throughout the story. The setting is the scene in which a story takes place, which involves the time, the location, and the natural environment. It can also greatly affect the plotline of the novel and the mood of the characters. It can easily create the tone, or atmosphere, of a certain scene in a story. The characteristics of a setting pushes the audience to gain a feeling of the tension a character must experience, and thus the suspenseful tone is developed. There are two major settings that take place in A Prayer for Owen Meany, which greatly adds to the novel as a whole. They are Gravesend, New Hampshire and Toronto, Canada. These two locations are vitally connected to the distinct time period, which deeply explore the roles the characters play and how they are perceived by characters like John Wheelwright and Owen Meany.

Do the settings make the stories believable or credible? How does setting impact the plot of the story, and how would the plot be affected if the story took place in another setting?

"Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else... Place is the crossroads of circumstance, the proving ground of, what happened? Who 's here? Who 's coming?” Eudora Welty stated this, emphasizing the importance setting has on a story. Authors of all kinds, young and old, famous and not famous, boy or girl—they all have at least one thing in common: setting. In every story a setting is described, sometimes in exceeding detail. Some authors make an attempt to give their audience full understanding of the setting their story is taking place. Many do this by describing the smells, colors, textures, sounds, and sometimes even tastes, to the reader. In many early-American writings, authors go ‘above and beyond’ to help their reader understand the setting, so as to feel what the writer is feeling. Setting often stirs a sense of empathy in the reader’s mind if the descriptions are well-written and captivating. Authors such as Joyce Carol Oates and especially Edgar Allan Poe are well-known for their use of description in the setting. Two very successful stories, written by these authors, are excellent examples of setting. Furthermore, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” by Poe, and “Where is Here?” by Oates both display how the author uses setting to help the reader visualize the situation, create

At these points it is more up to the reader to imagine what the settings looked like instead of the author just stating what the places looked like. An example of this is when the author says Dally was waiting for Johnny and me under the street light at the corner of Pickett and Sutton.” Here the author says that there is a street light in a corner, this has some description, but it is up to the reader to figure out what the rest of the place looks like. The reader has to figure out whether there is a brick sidewalk or a cement one, this is good because then it will be more fun for the reader and it will keep them more entertained. The book also has really specific descriptions, such as this one, “One time there was a very specific description of the setting was when the author was describing the park. “The park was about two blocks square, with a fountain in the middle and a small swimming pool for the little kids. The pool was empty now in the fall, but the fountain was going merrily. Tall elm trees made the park shadowy and dark, and it would have been a good hangout, but we preferred our vacant lot, and the Shepherd outfit liked the alleys down by the tracks, so the park was left to lovers and little kids.” In this quote it shows how big the park is, that there is a pool and a fountain. The quote also says that the

Tobias Wolff’s short story, “That Room” is a very suspenseful story that has the reader on the edge of their seat while reading it. Suspense and excitement is created through the plot and theme of the story which are both developed through four main literary devices. In the story, the narrator is put into what is potentially a life or death situation and it is at this point that he becomes aware that one is never really in full control of his or her own life. Throughout this literary analysis I will discuss the plot and theme of the story in terms of how Wolff uses setting, tone, characterization, and symbolism to enhance both the theme and the plot.

• Do the settings make the stories believable or credible? How does setting impact the plot of the story, and how would the plot be affected if the story took place in another setting?

Foremost, H.P. Lovecraft utilizes tone in the story to connect the themes to the narrator’s inner dialogue. One of the themes made evident with tone is loneliness. The author creates a dreary and disconsolate atmosphere with the tone when the narrator talks about his predicament.

Setting is very important because without the setting there is no initial story. As a reader a person cannot read a story without it having some sort of time frame or having a reference to where the story took place. The setting also shows that the characters in this story have to undergo different problems than other people in the world for example, “…complaining about the drought

His diction let’s you sense the carelessness and monotony of the characters lives. This style of writing shows the reader that the worth and value of the individual is not

He paid more attention to the working conditions, environment than the emotions of his character. Though the book was written in this manner he gave enough information on the characters to parallel the traditional values and morals of the Americans who would read the book. By doing this it created empathy in the hearts of those who read his novel; the reader would be able to envision his or her own life in the same situation.

Ever since the invention of language, humans have been obsessed and intrigued with the aspect of storytelling. Each story, whether written or spoken, holds an important theme within its creative words and exciting plot. While each story is special and unique, over the course of history, different periods of literature have formed where authors tend to focus on similar themes and messages. One of which was the American Romantic era, where authors used their stories to challenge the boundaries of society, and delve deeper into what makes people inherently human, both the flaws and perfections. Some of America’s greatest works of literature were born in this period, like those of Poe, and Hawthorne. A very common literary theme during the romantic period was that of good versus evil, in both individual characters and society as a whole; this theme is especially evident in works such as The Tell Tale Heart, The Raven, and Young Goodman Brown.

People say the setting does not make the story but it always helps. The setting plays a big role, telling the reader where the characters are. But not all settings are the same, for example the story High Noon. “Outskirts of Hadleyville-day” (Foreman 228). Hadleyville is the setting of High Noon, a small down but with a lot of interesting characters. Compared to a different setting in a short story called The Most Dangerous Game. “The old charts call it Ship Trap Island-Whitney replied” (Connell). Ship Trap is a mysterious island that no sailer dares to go to. Both settings are different from the sandy roads of Hadleyville to the swamps of Ship Trap Island, but each setting makes there

Setting is a very essential part of the novel. The setting helps set the mood for many situations and allows the action to be much more exciting and compelling. Thompson does an incredible job at changing the setting just enough amount of times to keep the story very enjoyable. He, of course, also does an incredible job at describing the setting which allows for the mood to be greatly impacted. Roy Dillon lives ¨in a hotel¨ which immediately gives the a mysterious and secretive mood to the reader (15). The reader is given the hint that as a conman Roy Dillon should be very careful about how he lives his life. The hotel as well makes the reader think that Dillon is hiding something from the public which makes him mysterious as a character. Later in the novel, Roy Dillon goes on a type of vacation with his significant other, Moira. ¨Roy rented a car at San Diego¨ which allows for a much lighter, fun mood for the time being since they are in San Diego where many relaxing beaches are it hints at a laid-back mood as well(140). San Diego is viewed by many as a dream vacation, or an ethereal destination which impacts the reader greatly. During this vacation the reader shown more deeply into the lives of the characters. Thompson uses this for the characters to develop within the setting, it allows for the readers to see a whole different side of the characters. On the whole, this is one of the many

In history authors have set certain stories in different landscapes and settings for specific reasons. These settings help convey the story and its overall environment. When looking at themes and settings the reader can somewhat easily grasp the plot of a story. In stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “Doe Season” the setting is very important to the scheme and the plot. In the “Tell-Tale Heart” the setting is centered around a dark motel which adds a since of fear and mysteriousness to the heart of the author, but in “Doe Season” the setting is based on being in the woods of Pennsylvania with a family. Based on the differences of setting in David Kaplan’s “Doe Season “and Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tell-tale Heart” one can conclude that settings in a story can factor in a character’s behavior, emotional state, and affects their actions.

Adrian Flynn’s playwright “The Valley of the Fear”, adapted from the novel by Conan Doyle, demonstrates how the writer uses techniques to convey an impression of suspense and mystery through scenes with a high level of anticipation and uncertainty. Suspense is achieved through the use of literary devices and events that stimulate the viewer’s moods. Readers wait with anticipation for the next secret to be revealed in strong, sudden scenes. Furthermore, Doyle creates a sense of tension by never giving the reader an entire answer so they can make up their own mind about what’s happening.