The use of secrets and silence to enhance a narrative
The theme of secrets and silence are important themes to detective fiction, without secrets the narratives wouldn’t have anything to keep the readers interested in continuing with the story. Secrets keep the audience reading, trying to anticipate the next move the antagonist is going to make. Silence is also used in narratives to enhance the mystery of the storyline and draw the reader in, because without silence, secrets couldn’t be kept. This essay will explore the different uses of secrets and silence within narratives and how they enhance the storyline. The texts that will be explored are The Purloined letter by Edgar Allan Poe and The Adventures of the Dancing Men by Sir Arthur Conan
This is shown by Dupin stealing the letter that the police chief wanted and then extorting a large sum of money from the officer before revealing that he was in possession of the letter. During this narrative Dupin and his companion remain silent throughout the officer’s explanation of his search. Although the story is centred on the misdeeds of another character the three main characters in the narrative are a police officer, Dupin, and the narrator. Dupin is involved in this narrative because the police need to consult with him. The officer also states that the only reason that he is looking as hard as he is, is because of a handsome reward for the return of the letter. (Poe, The Purloined letter)
The characters in The Purloined Letter consist of C. Auguste Dupin, the narrator, the Prefect of the Parisian police, minister D, and the victim of the story. Dupin reside in many tales written by Poe and is consequently the main character of this narrative, he is a complex character. As the story progresses the Minister and Dupin act in the same ways in regards to retrieving the letter from their respective victims. When the minister switches out the letter feigning ignorance with one that looks similar to gain power over the royal victim, Dupin does the same when retrieving the
Sherlock Holmes is a complex character he has many flaws to compliment his many flaws. John Watson is Sherlock’s companion, he documents their adventures, and assists on medical information that is involved in their cases. The main characters of this narrative are Mr Hilton Cubitt and Mrs Elsie Patrick Cubitt, Hilton Cubitt first approaches Sherlock with Drawings reminiscent of a children’s story that upset his new wife. Despite not knowing about her past and promising to not ask about it he loves her anyway. Mrs Elsie Cubitt’s is an enigma there is not much we know about her as a character, her past is a secret and it was written that way to draw the readers in and keep them reading. She is the daughter of the Chicago gangster Old Patrick. Old Patrick came up with the Dancing men code. The code is being used by Abe Slaney, Elsie’s ex-boyfriend and who is a part of the same gang that Elsie has run from, is the one using the code to stalk and threaten her. Abe is also the one who killed her husband, but only to clear Elsie of the suspicion of committing murder suicide. Inspector Martin is a unique character, he is enamoured by Sherlock and his brilliance. Martin is first introduced to the story when Sherlock and his companion arrive at the Cubitt’s residence in
Josh Pachter’s “Invitation to a Murder” uses passage of time, inference gaps, and foreshadowing to add suspense. Dramatic irony, inference gaps and red herrings create suspense in “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses mystery elements of many possible suspects, accumulation of clues and hidden evidence as catalysts for suspense. All three authors cleverly created anticipation in their work with mystery elements that kept the potential to hold captive their reader’s attention until the very last
To describe secrets by utilizing figurative language, Sante discusses secrets as a tangible object that can be passed, shared and even saved for a later. At one instance, Sante creates a metaphor between secrets and a form of value by saying the secret is an “important, gold-back currency,” in human culture that has become an important aspect of everyday life but is threatened by pop culture (Sante 436). Although Sante represents secrets as a form of cash value, secrets are actually portrayed as a form of “entertainment value” through attracting public attention and the satisfaction of revealing them (436). Describing secrets as an attainable worth helps stress the idea that secrets are an influential element of human life that needs more investigation, such as their revelation. Further discussing secrets throughout the article, Sante employs additional metaphors, as well as personification, to illustrate the revelation of secrets along with the consequences. For instance, Sante describes the disclosure of personal secrets as an individual’s ego to “take a beating” or emotional injury but concludes with the relationship between an individual's ego with the “foundation of [a] house” and how the telling impacts that individual
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most celebrated literary authors of all time, known for writing very suspenseful, dramatic short stories and a poet; is considered as being a part of the American Romantic Movement, and a lesser known opinion is he is regarded as the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. Most recognized for his mystery and macabre, a journey into the dark, ghastly stories of death, deception and revenge is what makes up his reputation. The short story under analysis is a part of his latter works; “The Cask of Amontillado”, a story of revenge takes readers into the mind of the murderer.
A common feature of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories is mistaken identity. Holmes frequently assumes a different identity to achieve his goals as a detective while investigating his various mysteries. Holmes has the ability to transform and renegotiate his identity to serve a particular purpose. In “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Irene Adler, as an actress, is capable of this shape shifting as well. In this story, Holmes is hired to recover some criminating letter and photos of Irene Adler and the King of Bohemia, who is fearful that his fiancé will learn of his impropriety. During his investigation Holmes follows Alder disguised as a drunken man, and later disguises himself as a clergyman. Holmes’ identity is often manipulated by him, but his position as they skilled detective is never lost. Unknown to Holmes, Alder also disguised herself as a young man. At the conclusion, Adler leaves behind a letter addressed to Holmes explaining how she has bested Holmes. In her letter, she...
Poe believes he can make John feel guilty and he will send him the money. In the third letter Poe portrays a pitiful mood. He writes statements such as, “If you knew at this moment how wretched I am you would never forgive yourself for having refused me.” He then writes, “Sickness and misfortune have left me not a shadow of pride. I own that I am miserable and unworthy of your notice, but do not leave me to perish without leaving me still one resource,” and, “I am suffering every extremity of want and misery without ever a chance to escape, or a friend to whom I can look up to for assistance.
Mrs. Birling says, “I felt it all time. He never talked like one. The end when the phone rings and hen they hear that a police Inspector is coming to them the audience as well as the characters are confused and astonished at it. Priestly succeeded in his intentions to deliver his message.
This article describes the search for pattern in the detective process which is metaphorically represented by the abbey's library. William's misconception of the importance of the clues leads him to realize that although clues are meant to help to get at the truth of matters, they do not necessarily fall into a pattern that leads to the truth. Like there is no correct way to go through a labyrinth to its centre, there is no correct way to follow clues and signs to the truth. In the end, although the murderer is discovered, trying to link all the clues to lead him to a final answer, William is led astray in his investigation.
The acclaimed authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, formulate the characters of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes respectively, to be similar in the way that they analyze, deduce, and connect segments of desperate and often-thought “unsolvable” detective cases. Through their comparable techniques and system of deduction, Dupin and Holmes never fail to trace back their evidence to the scene of the crime. However, due to the vast difference in the writing styles of Poe and Doyle, the audience observes the main characters not as clones, but rather an analogous pair that think alike, but do not act alike. The personalities of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes, although present are recognizable differences in their actions, continue to
The birth of classic detective fiction was originated just in the mid nineteenth century, and was producing its own genre. Classical detective fiction follows a set of rules called the ‘Ten commandments of detective fiction’. The genre is so popular it can bee seen by the number of sales in any good book stores. Many of these books have been created a long time ago and there is still a demand for these types of books. The popularity is still ongoing because it provides constant entertainment, and also the reader can also have a role of detective trying to solve the crime/case committed. Classical detective fiction has a formula, the detective story starts with a seemingly irresolvable mystery, typically a murder, features the astute, often unconventional detective, a wrongly accused suspect to whom the circumstantial evidence points, and concludes with a startling or unexpected solution to the mystery, during which the detective explains how he or she solved the mystery. Formula that includes certain elements such as, a closed location to keep the number of suspects down, red hearings spread around the stories to keep the reader entertained yet interacted.
And Sherlock easily catches where Irene has hidden the photograph. John is amazed of Sherlock’s work and he esteems Sherlock. From the beginning of the story, John is amazed by Sherlock’s work and how he keeps that up. John feeling esteem about Sherlock’s work makes him want to follow Sherlock’s crime situations. It makes the story flow in a respectful way. But in the text John’s esteem moves on to Alder, because she is the woman who tricked the great Sherlock Holmes. However, in the film, Irene gets defeated by Sherlock and John’s esteem does not move away like the text. John remains to respect Sherlock’s ability to
...as. “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter”. Each of these tales have depth that explains the train of thought that one experiences in critical situations. The horror allows one to emotionally connect and observe the situation. The puzzling effect that Poe leaves one with really puts one in a rational state of mind that is needed in committing crimes. Finally, the psychological theme puts it all together as Poe gives a detailed path of mental positions and how they come about. As the reader goes on, he or she realizes that Poe uses indirect messages too. This is seen in “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Edgar Allan Poe uses the themes of terror, puzzles and psychology in his written adventures to show and prove that the human mind is something that is in constant change. Every action has a consequence.
In both of Edgar Allan Poe’s writings, “The Murders at the Rue Morgue” and “The Tell Tale Heart” as the reader I am able to identify possible roles of crime and comfort in each piece. As we discussed in lecture, crime can be breaking the law, an act against another that is hurtful and against human morals, punishable by law, victimizing and much more. In each reading we find our self deeply immersed in the story this gives me the reader a clearer understanding into each tragedy by having the opportunity to clearly define the role of crime and comfort in each reading.
To begin the story Poe has a man who sets the scenery. The man sounds like he has a sound mind. But the narrator is trying to build his case for his sanity. The idea of the obsession that the narrator has with the eye of his employer builds to the question of whether or not this was a sign of a man who has an unstable mind or is it all just a ploy to get away with murder.
The story is told through the subjective viewpoint of the narrator who begins by telling the reader he is writing this narrative to unburden his soul because he will die tomorrow. The events that brought him to this place in time have “…terrified, tortured and destroyed him” (Poe). This sets a suspenseful tone for the story. He blames the Fiend Intemperance for the alteration of his personality. He went from a very docile, tenderhearted man who loved his pets and wife to a violent man who inflicted this ill temperament on the very things he loves. The final break from the man that he once was, is the “…spirit of PERVERSENESS” (Poe 514). He describes this as doing something wrong because you know it is wrong. Evil consumes his every thought and he soon develops a hatred for everything. “Speaking through his narrators," Poe illustrates perversit...
In “The Purloined Letter,” Edgar Allan Poe’s use of complex literary devices reveals his unique writing style. These literary devices include: allusions, metaphors, irony, foreshadowing events, and a detailed exposition. In the very beginning of the short story, Poe provides the reader with information about the setting and timing of the story. This aids the reader to clearly identify what exactly takes place. Poe, known perhaps more for his grotesque and gothic short stories, wrote detective and mystery short stories as well. Within one of his most famous detective short stories, “The Purloined Letter,” Poe illustrates the theme of logic and cleverness to prove the essential nature of intelligence and detail.