Tension and Suspense in Wells and Lively's Short Stories
This essay compares the literary techniques used by H.G. Wells in "The Cone" and Penelope Lively in "The Darkness Out There" to create tension and suspense. The analysis examines how each author employs vivid description, dialogue, and characterization to draw readers into the narrative. Wells builds suspense through industrial imagery, charged dialogue, and the morally ambiguous figure of Horrocks, while Lively uses an ostensibly innocent setting and understated characterization to deliver a dark, coming-of-age revelation. Together, the two stories illustrate how short fiction can achieve powerful psychological impact through carefully layered narrative tension.
- Introduction: Overview of both stories and key techniques
- Building Tension in 'The Cone' by H.G. Wells: Industrial imagery and character confrontation create suspense
- Dialogue, Foreboding, and the Climax in 'The Cone': Dialogue and ambiguity build toward Horrocks's violent act
- Suspense and Setting in 'The Darkness Out There': Haunted setting and the boy's instinct signal dark undercurrent
- Characterization and the Coming-of-Age Revelation in Lively: Innocent characters face a disturbing truth about the world
- Comparative Analysis and Conclusion: Both authors masterfully use tension to surprise the reader
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper consistently grounds its claims in direct textual evidence, quoting both authors to illustrate each point about tension and suspense rather than relying on assertion alone.
- The comparative structure is well-balanced: Wells and Lively each receive focused analysis before the final section brings them together, giving the argument a natural, satisfying arc.
- The essay demonstrates sensitivity to character psychology, particularly in its reading of Horrocks's clenched hands and Kerry's moral disgust, which elevates the analysis beyond plot summary.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper models close reading as a comparative method. Each quotation is followed by an explanation of how specific word choices — such as the past tense "had trusted" signaling Horrocks's awareness of betrayal — contribute to the story's emotional effect. This move from evidence to interpretation is the core habit of literary analysis.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by announcing its dual focus, then devotes three paragraphs to Wells's story (industrial atmosphere, character confrontation, dialogue and climax) and two to Lively's (setting and foreboding, characterization and resolution). A final comparative paragraph evaluates both authors side by side and arrives at an evaluative conclusion about their shared mastery of short fiction craft.
Introduction
This essay examines "The Cone" by H.G. Wells and "The Darkness Out There" by Penelope Lively, focusing specifically on how each author creates tension and suspense. Both short stories rely on tension and suspense to propel the narrative forward. The authors also employ effective characterization to place the reader in the middle of the action, allowing them to feel what the characters feel.
Building Tension in 'The Cone' by H.G. Wells
In "The Cone," Wells builds tension by describing the trains — the "men of iron" — that disrupt the landscape and shatter its peace. He writes, "The distant sound of a roaring and rushing drew nearer and grew in volume; the house quivered; one heard the metallic rattle of the tender. As the train passed, there was a glare of light above the cutting and a driving tumult of smoke" (Wells). The reader can almost feel the shuddering of the house and the roar of the passing train, and the description vividly conveys how industrialization rearranged and disrupted the natural landscape.
Wells also generates great tension through characterization. When Horrocks enters the room, it is clear that both the man and woman are startled and guilty, but Wells focuses the real tension on Horrocks himself. He writes, "His big hands were clenched; one saw now the fire of his eyes under the shadow of his brows. He was trying to get his breath. His eyes went from the woman he had trusted to the friend he had trusted, and then back to the woman" (Wells). The emphasis on the past tense "had trusted" makes it unmistakably clear that Horrocks knows what transpired before his surprise arrival, and that he is deeply hurt by it. The tension between the characters feels vividly real, and the reader understands Horrocks's pain and suffering thanks to the depth of Wells's characterization.
Dialogue, Foreboding, and the Climax in 'The Cone'
Wells further builds tension and suspense through dialogue and the vague sense of unease that Mrs. Horrocks experiences as the two men leave the room. He writes, "She had an impulse to warn him in an undertone, but she could not frame a word. 'Don't go!' And 'Beware of him!' struggled in her mind, and the swift moment passed" (Wells). It is clear that Horrocks is capable of violence, and the reader senses that something will inevitably happen at the "works."
Wells heightens the suspense further when Horrocks saves Raut from an oncoming train. He writes, "The struggle did not last a moment. Just as certain as it was that Horrocks held him there, so certain was it that he had been violently lugged out of danger" (Wells). This moment leaves the reader uncertain about Horrocks's true intentions, offering a glimmer of hope that he is not as deranged as he has appeared. However, that hope is ultimately false, and the suspense builds to its climax as Horrocks shoves his friend into the cone to his death. Throughout the story, Wells uses tension and suspense to drive the narrative toward its grim conclusion, and the characterization of Horrocks is essential to completing both the story and its emotional impact.
Suspense and Setting in 'The Darkness Out There'
In "The Darkness Out There," Penelope Lively signals early on that something darker lies beneath the story's seemingly innocent surface. She writes, "Packer's End. You didn't go by yourself through Packer's End if you could help it, not after tea-time, anyway" (Lively 179–180). Later she adds, "When they were small, six and seven and eight, they'd been scared stiff of Packer's End" (Lively 180). This location — supposedly haunted by German soldiers — becomes the story's thematic center, and its presence generates suspense and tension throughout the narrative.
A further source of suspense is the boy Kerry, who takes an immediate dislike to the old woman. Lively writes, "'She's all right. What's wrong with her, then?' He shrugged. 'I dunno. The way she talks and that'" (Lively 184). This hint of unease about the old woman grows more significant as the story progresses. She is revealed to be cold-blooded and even evil, and Kerry's instinctive reaction sets up the story's devastating conclusion. When he learns that the old woman left a young German soldier to die, his disgust transforms him in the girl's eyes. Lively writes, "He had grown; he had got older and larger. His anger eclipsed his acne, the patches of grease on his jeans, and lardy midriff" (Lively 188).
References
Lively, Penelope. "The Darkness Out There." Pack of Cards: And Other Stories. New York: Grove Press, 1986. 179–188.
Wells, H.G. "The Cone." Classic Reader. 2007. 17 Jan. 2008.
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