Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 241 views

    Creating Suspense Attwn

    Uploaded by

    api-454129349
    The document discusses how Agatha Christie creates suspense in her novel And Then There Were None through the use of foreshadowing and symbolism. It provides two examples of how Christie uses foreshadowing to hint at future events, such as a character's thoughts foreshadowing another guest being murdered. It also gives two examples of symbolic elements that build suspense, such as a story about extraterrestrial judges symbolizing a character administering justice. In conclusion, the document states that Christie skillfully uses devices like foreshadowing and symbolism to develop suspense and keep readers engaged.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Creating Suspense Attwn

    Uploaded by

    api-454129349
    241 views3 pages
    The document discusses how Agatha Christie creates suspense in her novel And Then There Were None through the use of foreshadowing and symbolism. It provides two examples of how Christie uses foreshadowing to hint at future events, such as a character's thoughts foreshadowing another guest being murdered. It also gives two examples of symbolic elements that build suspense, such as a story about extraterrestrial judges symbolizing a character administering justice. In conclusion, the document states that Christie skillfully uses devices like foreshadowing and symbolism to develop suspense and keep readers engaged.

    Original Title

    creating suspense attwn

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses how Agatha Christie creates suspense in her novel And Then There Were None through the use of foreshadowing and symbolism. It provides two examples of how Christie uses foreshadowing to hint at future events, such as a character's thoughts foreshadowing another guest being murdered. It also gives two examples of symbolic elements that build suspense, such as a story about extraterrestrial judges symbolizing a character administering justice. In conclusion, the document states that Christie skillfully uses devices like foreshadowing and symbolism to develop suspense and keep readers engaged.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    241 views3 pages

    Creating Suspense Attwn

    Uploaded by

    api-454129349
    The document discusses how Agatha Christie creates suspense in her novel And Then There Were None through the use of foreshadowing and symbolism. It provides two examples of how Christie uses foreshadowing to hint at future events, such as a character's thoughts foreshadowing another guest being murdered. It also gives two examples of symbolic elements that build suspense, such as a story about extraterrestrial judges symbolizing a character administering justice. In conclusion, the document states that Christie skillfully uses devices like foreshadowing and symbolism to develop suspense and keep readers engaged.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 3

    King 1

    Ethan King

    Period 1

    English 9H

    14 November 2018

    Creating Suspense

    Agatha Christie has written some of the most famous pieces of literature, outsold only by

    the Bible and Shakespeare. In her bestselling novel, And Then There Were None, Christie uses

    various different methods to create suspense. Many times, Christe developed suspense by using

    rhetorical and literary devices. The most effective devices for creating suspense in Christie’s And

    Then There Were None are foreshadowing and symbolism.

    Agatha Christie uses foreshadowing in numerous occasions throughout her novel to

    create suspense. One example of this is when she anonymously writes out each of the guests

    thoughts. One thought that she revealed was “ Wake up--Judgement Day--no, not that! If only I

    could think… My head--something’s happening in my head--it’s going to burst--it’s going to

    split” (Christie 214). Judgement Day is a reference to the Bible, so when the anonymous guest

    thinks about Judgement Day, he or she foreshadows that another guest would be murdered on

    that day. This is later shown to be true when when Justice Wargrave is shot, killed, and then

    dressed as a judge by a murderer. Another example of foreshadowing used in the novel is when

    Mr. Blore prepared to investigate and attack the person walking around the house in the middle

    of the night. At this point in the novel, Christie writes “He tiptoed back to the bed, slipped

    matches into his pocket, detached the plug of the electric lamp next to his bed and pick it u,

    winding the flex cord round it. It was a chromium affair with a heavy ebonite base--a useful
    King 2

    weapon” (Christie 235). This foreshadows that furniture could later be used as a murder weapon,

    since all potential weapons have been locked up. This is also shown to be true later in the novel,

    when Blore is killed by a ceramic bear clock that was thrown from Vera’s window.

    Agatha Christie also uses symbolism many times throughout the novel the novel to create

    suspense one example of how symbolism is used to create suspense is when Vera told Lombard

    the story of two extraterrestrial judges that came to America to execute justice. This is found

    when Vera states “I read a story once--about two judges that came to a small American

    town--from the Supreme Court. They administered justice--Absolute Justice. Because--they

    didn't come from this world at all….” (Christie 253). The judges from Vera’s story symbolize

    Justice Wargrave, who administers absolute justice when he kills all of the other guests for the

    crimes that they commited. Another example of how Christie uses symbolism to create suspense

    in the novel is when she describes the increasing severity of the storm. In chapter 10, she writes “

    Outside the rain poured down and the wind howled in great shuddering gusts against the window

    panes” (Christie 167). Throughout the novel, as the guests are murdered the storm becomes more

    severe. The severity of the storm symbolizes the approach of another death on the island.

    Christie’s novels are very popular due to her ability to successfully develop suspense

    using rhetorical and literary devices. These devices include foreshadowing and symbolism,

    which are primary elements in creating suspense. Christie’s ability to create suspense is what

    keeps the reader on the edge of their seats throughout the novel.
    King 3

    Works Cited

    Christie, Agatha. And Then There Were None. Fontana, 1963.

    You might also like