6. Bring out the elements of suspense and irony in the story “The Killers.”
The writer has made the story “The Killers” powerful with the help of suspense and irony.
The elements of suspense are found right from the start of the story. The sudden start of the story creates a lot of suspense. The reader wants to know about the two men. He also wants to know why they are being so rude. The way they order the waiter keeps the suspense alive. They make fun of them. They call them bright boys. They particularly make fun of George, call him a thinker, and dumb. They do not let him laugh and look at them. These things add to the suspense of the story.
The suspense reaches the highest point when the killers make the hostages. The reader wants to know why they have done so. However, the suspense is not fully satisfied when he comes to know that they want to kill Ole Anderson. At this point, the reader wants to know why they want to kill Ole Anderson. He is given only a clue that Ole might have double-crossed somebody. He also wants to know whether the killers will be able to kill Ole. We see that he does not get the answer. There was suspense that the armed men might rob money and things and someone might be injured or killed.
Irony in the story is that after committing some crime, Ole thinks that he will escape its consequences. At the end, we find him fully resigned to death. Despite of much suspense and horror, the end of the story is sudden and unexpected. (264