McCarthy, Cormac. The road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.
The five elements of a short story that are in the book that I am reading (The Road by Cormac McCarthy) are characters, setting, conflict, suspense and point of view.In my personal opinion this is the order of importance:
1. Suspense
2. Conflict
3. Characters
4. Setting
5. Point of View
In the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy there is a ton of suspense. A great example of the suspense in this book is when the man and his son came upon the mysterious house where people are being held captive. As the two descend down to stairs in the basement their only light is coming from a lighter. Because of this, the author reviles small bits of information as the light flickers in and out. This really drags out the moment and as each piece of information is reveled the suspense of the moment keeps building and building up until finally the whole picture is reveled. "He started down the rough wooden steps. He ducked his head and then flicked the lighter and swung the flame out over the darkness like an offering. Coldness and damp. An ungodly stench. The boy clutched at his coat. he could see part of a stone wall. Clay floor. An old mattress darkly staid. Huddled against the back wall were naked people, male and female, all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hand. On the mattress lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt." (McCarthy, 110) As you can see this is a very suspenseful part of the book. This is just one example of the many suspenseful elements in The Road by Cormac McCarthy
In the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy there is a ton of suspense. A great example of the suspense in this book is when the man and his son came upon the mysterious house where people are being held captive. As the two descend down to stairs in the basement their only light is coming from a lighter. Because of this, the author reviles small bits of information as the light flickers in and out. This really drags out the moment and as each piece of information is reveled the suspense of the moment keeps building and building up until finally the whole picture is reveled. "He started down the rough wooden steps. He ducked his head and then flicked the lighter and swung the flame out over the darkness like an offering. Coldness and damp. An ungodly stench. The boy clutched at his coat. he could see part of a stone wall. Clay floor. An old mattress darkly staid. Huddled against the back wall were naked people, male and female, all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hand. On the mattress lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt." (McCarthy, 110) As you can see this is a very suspenseful part of the book. This is just one example of the many suspenseful elements in The Road by Cormac McCarthy
