Tell Tale Heart, A Dip in The Poole and Phone Call are three short stories that significantly show how “beginnings and endings are vital”. Tell Tail Heart is a strong example of how the writer captures the reader’s attention from the very start, and really pulls them into the setting and establishes the personality of the main character. Bill Pronzini’s A Dip in the Poole is a simple short story that has a magnificent plot twist ending that is somewhat predictable but not inevitable, and the reader is left in shock as they discover who the protagonist is. Berton Roueché leaves the reader hanging in Phone Call, which forces them to put the pieces of the puzzle together and construct their own ending in their head of what will happen next.
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The plot follows the life of a young man who has a broken down car and seeks help from a lady inside her house. The old lady lets him in so that he can use her phone, but in a dramatic sequence of events the atmosphere turns bitterly cold and the lady tries to stab him with a knife, but the man manages to break her wrist by smashing it with a clarinet. The first paragraph puts the reader fully inside the story, especially through the use of colloquial language which creates a mental impression of the main character. Phrases such as, “slammed down”, “had me beat”, “gave it the gas” and the casual use of “bastard” to personify the car, give the impression of a stereotypical American. By using the first person perspective Berton encourages the reader to experience the emotions being felt thus stimulating the reader’s interest. It is possible that by doing this Berton encourages the reader to support the subject by wondering what will proceed. The story finishes with the line, “Then she began to scream” which is the perfect way for Roueché to end it. He leaves the story open ended for the reader to imagine their own repercussions. There are several scenarios that may have occurred after the women broke her arm such as the boy fleeing and never returning or the boy making a rash decision to call an ambulance for her. The ending of Phone Call completely …show more content…
The beginning of a story needs to drag the reader in straight away but also establish the tone and set the foundation for the plot. On the other hand, the ending of a story is also extremely important because it either ties together all of the loose ends or leaves the reader wondering about the events that will occur next. A short story would not be complete or enjoyable to read without a captivating beginning and an exciting ending, which proves that they are both significant aspects to consider when attempting to write a successful
The plot follows the life of a young man who has a broken down car and seeks help from a lady inside her house. The old lady lets him in so that he can use her phone, but in a dramatic sequence of events the atmosphere turns bitterly cold and the lady tries to stab him with a knife, but the man manages to break her wrist by smashing it with a clarinet. The first paragraph puts the reader fully inside the story, especially through the use of colloquial language which creates a mental impression of the main character. Phrases such as, “slammed down”, “had me beat”, “gave it the gas” and the casual use of “bastard” to personify the car, give the impression of a stereotypical American. By using the first person perspective Berton encourages the reader to experience the emotions being felt thus stimulating the reader’s interest. It is possible that by doing this Berton encourages the reader to support the subject by wondering what will proceed. The story finishes with the line, “Then she began to scream” which is the perfect way for Roueché to end it. He leaves the story open ended for the reader to imagine their own repercussions. There are several scenarios that may have occurred after the women broke her arm such as the boy fleeing and never returning or the boy making a rash decision to call an ambulance for her. The ending of Phone Call completely …show more content…
The beginning of a story needs to drag the reader in straight away but also establish the tone and set the foundation for the plot. On the other hand, the ending of a story is also extremely important because it either ties together all of the loose ends or leaves the reader wondering about the events that will occur next. A short story would not be complete or enjoyable to read without a captivating beginning and an exciting ending, which proves that they are both significant aspects to consider when attempting to write a successful