Oneeb Zaheer Ashley Sheaff English 1 Period 6 9/14/15 Suspense Suspense is an element in writing that makes the reader excited, anxious, or uncertain about what is going to happen next. Writers use suspense to enhance their storytelling and create more interest for readers. There are several different literary techniques that writers use to accomplish this. T
he short story “Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Tellez uses mood and internal conflict to develop suspense. The mood, or feelings of the reader, in “Lather and Nothing Else” is one method used by the writer to make the story more exciting and suspenseful. Tellez starts to reveal Torres’ background and identity, “The day he ordered the people to file through the schoolyard to look upon the four rebels hanging there, my path had crossed his briefly. But the sight of those mutilated bodies kept me from paying attention to the face of the man who had been directing it all and whom I now had in my hands.” (PG 1) The narrator’s words spark interest in readers, making them wonder who the horrible man the barber is talking about is. The author presents the situation in a dramatic way that provokes readers to find out what the barber will do to Torres, who is seemingly at the mercy of the barber. Tellez also describes the barber’s expertise and knowledge in great detail, “At this point you really had to handle your blade skillfully, because the hair, while scantier, tended to fall into small whorls. It was a curly beard. The pores might open, minutely, in this area and let out a tiny drop of blood. A good barber like myself stakes his reputation on not permitting that to happen to any of his customers.” (PG 3) The author’s subtle use of blood arouses readers immediately to the possibility of the barber murdering Torres. It invokes anticipation and eagerness to find out what actions the barber will take. Internal conflict, or the struggle within a character’s mind to make a decision, is an important and key technique that augments the level of suspense in “Lather and Nothing Else”. Tellez details the barber’s internal strife, “I am a revolutionary but not a murderer. And it would be so easy to kill him. He deserves it. Or does he? No! No one deserves the sacrifice others make in becoming assassins.” (PG 3) The barber’s inability to retain composure and think straight accelerates the pace of the story. With so many thoughts coming to the barber in such a short span of time, the tensions rise higher and higher with each paragraph. Tellez highlights the barber’s rampaging thoughts as he shaves Torres, “And what would I do then with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leave all this behind, take shelter far away, very far away. But they would follow until they caught up with me.” (PG 4) By suddenly going off on a tangent while leaving his original conflict on whether or not to kill Torres undecided, the pace of the story is increased yet again, becoming more thrilling as readers try to discover why he is thinking about where to hide Torres’ body. Does it means he’s definitely going to kill him or does it further prove his inability to think straight in a high pressure situation? The short story written by Hernando Tellez, “Lather and Nothing Else”, enhances and creates suspense using the literary techniques mood and internal conflict. T
hrough the barber’s thoughts and actions in a stressful situation, readers stay full of anticipation throughout the story. Mood, internal conflict, and many other devices are a vital part to creating thrill in writing, and “Lather and Nothing Else” is a perfect example of this.