Annabell Lackner, Grade 12
UWCEA Arusha
The creation of suspense and tension in literary works is essential in order to guarantee a continued interest of the audience. Authors aim to catalyze a feeling of excitement, terror and, above all, curiosity within their readers. This is achieved in four steps which are the creation of reader empathy,to then evoke concern, implement danger and finally escalate the tension.This technique is clearly exemplified in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Purple Hibiscus, published in 2003, and Margaret Atwood's book The Handmaid’s Tale from the year 1984, both of which are set in an corrupt and theocratic environment with the purpose of giving an insight into the individual experience of the oppressed victims.
Hence, both Atwood and Adichie achieve suspense through the controlled release of Information as well as the creation of interesting and compelling characters who appeal to the audience's empathy.
In Purple Hibiscus as well as in the Handmaid’s Tale the style of the narration has a huge impact on the construction of a suspense ladder that encourages to keep turning the pages. Adichie provides a preview of future events in the form of nonlinear narration in order to excite her readers about a following escalation. This is effectively achieved by the climax that was shifted to the first chapter and tells us that, “When Papa threw the missal at Jaja, it was not just the figurines that came tumbling down, it was everything”, thus foreshadowing a rising arc of suspense in the lead-up to the introduced final. However, not only the promising hindsight in the introductory chapter raises the audience’s interest, but also the thoroughly used symbolism which often signifies key events like in the case of the figurines. The quote emphasizes the destructiveness of Christianity in Nigeria which eventually infiltrated local families. At the same time the dancer figurines also imply Kambili’s and especially Jaja’s breaking-out of the submissiveness of the family, since dance usually stands for freedom and intuition. Moreover, the first-person narrative also allows for an insight into the emotions of the protagonist Kambili, that can on the one hand give valuable information to the story and simultaneously, however, narrow down the reader's view to the subjective experiences of the narrator. While this is crucial to manipulating the perception of the audience, it can also withhold information which leads to an increasingly generated interest in the unknown.
Conversely, while Adichie upholds suspense structurally mainly through hindsight in the introductory chapter, Atwood creates a puzzle by alternating present narratives with seemingly arbitrarily occurring flashbacks. However, similar to Purple Hibiscus, the protagonist's narration also adds to the anxiety created. In chapter 18 Offred substantiates her unreliability with the words,“The things I believe can’t all be true, though one of them must be.”
She presents three mutually exclusive versions of where Luke might be and what could have happened to him, while telling herself that actually only one story can be true. As the reader never finds out about the reality, the narrative paradoxes destabilize and undermine any sense of certainty and make her unreliable. The flashbacks let the reader discover one piece of the story at a time and create disorientation and unreliability. Uncertainty can also be seen in connection with the nature of the novel, as the dystopian scenario takes elements from what is true of our society now, to create a hypothetical scenario for the future. Therefore, the troubling style of narration and the accompanying warning for the real-world show how Atwood creates tension with great skill.
In both works the authors willingly ration the supply of information to the reader, which is strongly caused by the subjective and extremely limited viewpoint of the protagonists. Consequently, the readers are encouraged to continue reading and collect all the pieces of the incomplete puzzle.
Furthermore, the importance of bringing about compelling characters that readers sympathize with is suggested by both authors, as they hide the real identity of their main characters until the end. Adichie does that in the form of a bildungsroman that evolves around Kambili’s character development from oppression towards independence. However, Kambili’s silence at the beginning of Purple Hibiscus is so tragically pervasive that she cannot even imagine the sound of her own laughter. She discovers,“That night I dreamed that I was laughing, but it did not sound like my laughter, although I was not sure what my laughter sounded like,” which stresses her lack of an own personality. Through this quote it is also possible to discover her inner identity crisis which brings the empathy of the readers. Following that, it enables them to identify with the struggles of the main character and feel even greater excitement when the concern of a coming threat is foreshadowed. Additionally, the mystery around her person accomplishes suspense as it makes the reader want to know more about her and the transition to independence. Thus, Chimamanda Adichie strengthens the relationship between the characters and the audience to operate towards an effective tension.
In a similar fashion, Atwood creates enigma around her main character who faces a severe identity crisis with the desire for a self, enhancing reader interest towards Offred’s obscure personality. The protagonists additionally supports that effect with phrases like, “My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden.” This quote alludes to a technique that can stir emotions, namely the uncertainty around her as a person. While the reinvention of identity can be seen as an oppressive tool by the government of Gilead, it also depicts how authors can influence suspense through their choice of words. Since “Offred” is a composition of the prefix “Of” followed by her Commander's name “Fred”, Atwood suggests that the protagonist is entirely shaped by society and dependent on authority. Apart from that and some trivial hints in the flashbacks, there is no way of finding out about her real identity. Moreover, anxiety is implemented in several situations that do not reveal the resolution. When Offred explains, “Whether this is my end or a new beginning I have no way of knowing,” the audience is confronted with a huge secret and simultaneously concerned about Offred’s faith. Hence, the inner conflict of the Handmaid and the veiled identity absorb the reader and make the novel a page-turner.
In conclusion, the controlled release of information as well as the engaging characters add to a rising arc of suspense in both works. The mysteries around the protagonists arguably contribute to the audience being captivated in fascination and a blooming imagination. Even though both authors grab attention through their style of narration, this technique differs slightly when looking at the structure. Atwood succeeds in creating uncertainty through the nonlinear narration, while Adichie uses structure and symbolism to foreshadow future events.
Hence, both Atwood and Adichie achieve suspense through the controlled release of Information as well as the creation of interesting and compelling characters who appeal to the audience's empathy.
In Purple Hibiscus as well as in the Handmaid’s Tale the style of the narration has a huge impact on the construction of a suspense ladder that encourages to keep turning the pages. Adichie provides a preview of future events in the form of nonlinear narration in order to excite her readers about a following escalation. This is effectively achieved by the climax that was shifted to the first chapter and tells us that, “When Papa threw the missal at Jaja, it was not just the figurines that came tumbling down, it was everything”, thus foreshadowing a rising arc of suspense in the lead-up to the introduced final. However, not only the promising hindsight in the introductory chapter raises the audience’s interest, but also the thoroughly used symbolism which often signifies key events like in the case of the figurines. The quote emphasizes the destructiveness of Christianity in Nigeria which eventually infiltrated local families. At the same time the dancer figurines also imply Kambili’s and especially Jaja’s breaking-out of the submissiveness of the family, since dance usually stands for freedom and intuition. Moreover, the first-person narrative also allows for an insight into the emotions of the protagonist Kambili, that can on the one hand give valuable information to the story and simultaneously, however, narrow down the reader's view to the subjective experiences of the narrator. While this is crucial to manipulating the perception of the audience, it can also withhold information which leads to an increasingly generated interest in the unknown.
Conversely, while Adichie upholds suspense structurally mainly through hindsight in the introductory chapter, Atwood creates a puzzle by alternating present narratives with seemingly arbitrarily occurring flashbacks. However, similar to Purple Hibiscus, the protagonist's narration also adds to the anxiety created. In chapter 18 Offred substantiates her unreliability with the words,“The things I believe can’t all be true, though one of them must be.”
She presents three mutually exclusive versions of where Luke might be and what could have happened to him, while telling herself that actually only one story can be true. As the reader never finds out about the reality, the narrative paradoxes destabilize and undermine any sense of certainty and make her unreliable. The flashbacks let the reader discover one piece of the story at a time and create disorientation and unreliability. Uncertainty can also be seen in connection with the nature of the novel, as the dystopian scenario takes elements from what is true of our society now, to create a hypothetical scenario for the future. Therefore, the troubling style of narration and the accompanying warning for the real-world show how Atwood creates tension with great skill.
In both works the authors willingly ration the supply of information to the reader, which is strongly caused by the subjective and extremely limited viewpoint of the protagonists. Consequently, the readers are encouraged to continue reading and collect all the pieces of the incomplete puzzle.
Furthermore, the importance of bringing about compelling characters that readers sympathize with is suggested by both authors, as they hide the real identity of their main characters until the end. Adichie does that in the form of a bildungsroman that evolves around Kambili’s character development from oppression towards independence. However, Kambili’s silence at the beginning of Purple Hibiscus is so tragically pervasive that she cannot even imagine the sound of her own laughter. She discovers,“That night I dreamed that I was laughing, but it did not sound like my laughter, although I was not sure what my laughter sounded like,” which stresses her lack of an own personality. Through this quote it is also possible to discover her inner identity crisis which brings the empathy of the readers. Following that, it enables them to identify with the struggles of the main character and feel even greater excitement when the concern of a coming threat is foreshadowed. Additionally, the mystery around her person accomplishes suspense as it makes the reader want to know more about her and the transition to independence. Thus, Chimamanda Adichie strengthens the relationship between the characters and the audience to operate towards an effective tension.
In a similar fashion, Atwood creates enigma around her main character who faces a severe identity crisis with the desire for a self, enhancing reader interest towards Offred’s obscure personality. The protagonists additionally supports that effect with phrases like, “My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden.” This quote alludes to a technique that can stir emotions, namely the uncertainty around her as a person. While the reinvention of identity can be seen as an oppressive tool by the government of Gilead, it also depicts how authors can influence suspense through their choice of words. Since “Offred” is a composition of the prefix “Of” followed by her Commander's name “Fred”, Atwood suggests that the protagonist is entirely shaped by society and dependent on authority. Apart from that and some trivial hints in the flashbacks, there is no way of finding out about her real identity. Moreover, anxiety is implemented in several situations that do not reveal the resolution. When Offred explains, “Whether this is my end or a new beginning I have no way of knowing,” the audience is confronted with a huge secret and simultaneously concerned about Offred’s faith. Hence, the inner conflict of the Handmaid and the veiled identity absorb the reader and make the novel a page-turner.
In conclusion, the controlled release of information as well as the engaging characters add to a rising arc of suspense in both works. The mysteries around the protagonists arguably contribute to the audience being captivated in fascination and a blooming imagination. Even though both authors grab attention through their style of narration, this technique differs slightly when looking at the structure. Atwood succeeds in creating uncertainty through the nonlinear narration, while Adichie uses structure and symbolism to foreshadow future events.
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