‘Uneasy Homecoming’ – Critical Essay
QUESTION: How does Will F Jenkins use narrative point of view,
character and structure to build up suspense and a sense of fear in
the short story ‘Uneasy Homecoming’?
INTRODUCTION
You need to start your essay by referring to the title of the story, the
author and the key words (underlined above) from the question to refer to
what you have been asked to write about in your essay.
Help Box
___________ successfully builds up __________ and a ________
________________ in the short story ‘______________________’
through `_________________…
THE MAIN PART OF THE ESSAY
STRUCTURING PARAGRAPHS – HELP BOXES
Using Topic Sentences
You will need to start each paragraph in the main part of the essay with a
topic sentence. This means that you need to:
a) refer to the key words of the question (i.e. ’suspense’ and ‘sense
of fear’: One of the ways in which the author creates…
b) make clear what technique the rest of the paragraph is going to be
about: is through … (i.e. narrative point of view)
Writing the rest of the paragraph - you should then go on to:
a) make a point:
b) back it up with evidence
(a quote from the story, in
quotation marks: “…”)
c) comment on the effect
that this aspect of the
story has on the reader –
how does it help to add
suspense and a sense of
fear to the story?
The author starts the story by telling us how
Connie is feeling as she travels home:
“Connie began to have the feeling of
dread and uneasiness in the taxi…”
By opening the story with Connie’s feeling’s
of fear, the reader immediately starts to
identify with her and feel sympathy for her.
We want to read on to find out why she is
feeling this way and whether her fears are
justified.
Note - You can use the point – evidence – comment structure
more than once in a paragraph.
Paragraph One
In this paragraph you should write about the NARRATIVE POINT OF
VIEW of the story. This means that you have to write about the point of
view from which the story is told and the effect which this has. Use your
answers to the questions you did before to help you.
You should start your paragraph by writing a topic sentence – look at the
box above.
You should then go on to mention:
1)
How the story is narrated - is it:
a) first person (‘I’),
b) third person restricted (‘he / she’ without access to characters’
thoughts and feelings) or
c) omniscient narrator (all seeing and all knowing - ‘he / she’ with
access to characters’ thoughts and feelings, plus other
information)?
2)
The opening of the story (what do we know about Connie’s feelings
from the start of the story? Why does she feel this way and is there
any definite evidence for her feelings?) How does she try to make
herself feel better? How does the opening of the story make us feel,
and how does it make us feel towards Connie?
3)
What kind of things does the narrator tell the reader which Connie
is not aware of? – quote two examples. What is the effect on the
reader of finding out what has happened before Connie does? What
does the reader realise which Connie does not?
Paragraph Two
This paragraph is going to be about the use of CHARACTER.
Write a topic sentence – see the box above.
1) Introduce your point – the author has deliberately chosen to make the
main character a woman in order to build suspense and tension.
2) What difference does having a woman as the central character make –
what is suggested about the vulnerability of women as opposed to
men, and what does this add to the story?
3) What does Connie say about her attitude to women’s typical fears at
the top of the fourth page of the story? Why does she talk about
‘Things’ and ‘Them’?
4) How does Connie try to reassure herself – quote? Are Connie’s fears,
and her attempts to reassure herself, realistic? How does this help us
to relate to her character?
Paragraph Three
In this paragraph you are going to write about the STRUCTURE of the
story, or the way in which it is put together.
Start with a topic sentence – check the help box above.
You should then go on to discuss the following, using the point –
evidence – comment structure (see above):
1) The fact that the author creates tension from the very start of the story.
2) How we find out about the burglaries during the story and the effect this
has on the reader.
3) What we learn about Charlie Winston on the 5th page of the story and
why the author tells us this information at this point.
4) How Connie first realises that someone has been in her house and the
reason why Mr Field was attacked. What effect does this have on her
(what does it make her do?), and what effect does it have on the
reader?
5) When Connie recognises the burglar, why is the reader not told his
identity at this point? How does this make us feel, and what does it
make Connie realise about the danger she is in? When and how do we
find out who he is?
Paragraph Four
You are now going to briefly write about paragraph and sentence
structure.
Write a topic sentence – see the help box.
1) Introduce your point – that the author uses short paragraphs and
sentences in the story to build tension.
2) You should now find an example of a short paragraph and a short
sentence and quote them as evidence.
3) Now go on to comment on the effect which using these short
paragraphs and sentences has on the reader.
Conclusion
In your conclusion, you should summarise the points you have made in
your essay (i.e. briefly go over them), using the key words of the question.
You should then go on to give a final, overall comment which answers
the question – how well do you think the author has used the techniques
which you have written about to build up suspense and a sense of fear in
the story? What is your personal opinion of how well the story works as
a suspense story?
Finished?
You should now check over your essay carefully. Have you:
 Structured your introduction properly, using the key words and
outlining what you have been asked to write about in the essay?
 Have you written paragraphs on narrative point of view, character,
structure and paragraph / sentence structure?
 Have you started each paragraph in the main part of the essay with a
topic sentence?
 Have you introduced each point?
 Have you backed up each point with evidence and put your quotations
in inverted commas: “…”
 Have you commented on what each point and piece of evidence adds
to suspense and a sense of fear in the story?
 Have you summed up the points you have made in your conclusion
and answered the question?