Lamb To The Slaughter Suspense Analysis

On the contrary, Roald Dahl uses familiarity to initiate suspense in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’. For example, the quote of “warm and clean, the curtains draw”, a familiar setting of a loving home gives a comfortable feeling but at the same time, it makes the audience anticipate what is going to be the outcome of the story. The wording of “warm” makes it feel like a home full of love and tenderness, which makes it creepier to expect something to happen. In addition to that, this point can also be seen in the quote of “ran upstairs to the bedroom”. Running to our most comfortable place in the house when you’re upset is a common thing to do, which makes it even more eerie and horrifying. The wording of “ran” determines the extent of her feelings, …show more content…
In the quote of “The ghost's ring is a strange vibration in the bell that it derives from nothing else, and I have not asserted that the bell stirs to the eye.”, it suggests that there is something perplexing that is unexplainable by science. This creates suspense by allowing the audience unconsciously to start to imagine how it would sound like from their own point of view and the signalman himself. The phrase “derives from nothing” moulds a sense that the signalman himself is unable to explain the reason he can hear the bell that is from nowhere. It creates a sense that there is no reason for its presence and no accurate method in explaining it. By the same token, this point can also be found in the quote of “A disagreeable shudder crept over me”. In this quote, it seems as though the narrator is trying to ignore the ghastly and creepy he felt. The wording of “disagreeable” suggests that the narrator is trying to convince and reassure himself that he is overthinking about the situation as well as imagining something spooky. Moreover, this point can also be found in the quote of “Resisting the slow touch of a frozen finger tracing out my spine”. It also shows that the narrator is not accepting his own fear towards the supernatural. The wording of “resisting” shows that the narrator is trying his best to shove away that feeling of horror. As well as that, this point could also be seen in the quote of “unquestionable that remarkable coincidences did continually occur”. In this quote, it moulds a sense that the narrator was trying to state and contemplate whether or not it is a mysterious coincidence or not at all. The wording of “remarkable” shows that the narrator has thought a lot and has try to match all the puzzle pieces together. The author creates suspense by giving hesitant coincidences that might not be a coincidence at all