August Heat by W. F. Harvey Book Review

The author of this particular piece of writing, “August Heat”, is W.F. Harvey. In this story, the main character, James Clarence Withencroft is living out what he thinks is a normal day. He draws all day long and eventually gets bored and goes on a walk, where he meets an unfamiliar man. The purpose of suspense and horror in this story is to give the reader a suspicious vibe, and to create a feeling of anxiety from the events occurring in the story. Harvey creates suspense in “August Heat” through the use of foreshadowing, reversal, and putting a character in danger.

One method Harvey uses to create a feeling of suspense is foreshadowing. The introduction of this story is there in order to set the scene and to foreshadow what is going to happen throughout the story. James Clarence Withencroft says, “I have had what I believe to be the most remarkable day in my life,... I wish to put them down on paper as clearly as possible”(Harvey). The first sentence gives hints to the events that are to come, and foreshadows the entire story for the reader. James Clarence Withenthroft has just finished the drawing that he says is his best drawing when he decides to go on a walk, but has no clue where he is going to end up. Withencroft says, “From there onward I have only the vaguest recollections of where I went” (Harvey). This creates suspense for the reader as it describes how Withencroft does not know where he would end up at, he just begins walking. Withencroft does not remember where he went, which gives off an unsettling vibe. Harvey uses foreshadowing to create suspense and to engage the reader, and he does this by describing how Withencroft has no idea where he was going as he went on a walk, and how he vaguely remembers anything. 

Another method to creating suspense that Harvey uses is reversal. At this time Withencroft has been out walking, and he sees a gate that leads into a yard. He decides to go inside, and when he does, things take a turn for the worse. Withencroft says, “I said little, for I felt uneasy. There was something unnatural, uncanny, in meeting this man”(Harvey). As Withencroft enters, he finds a man, named Chas. Atkinson,  sitting down carving a drawing into a piece of marble; he was drawing the exact thing Withencroft had drawn that morning. Withencroft sparks a conversation with Mr. Atkinson, but begins to feel uncomfortable with him. At this point, the men are talking and are attempting to figure out how they have drawn the same piece, and are trying to put it all together. Withencroft says, “He spoke of the improbable with an intense seriousness that would have been laughable six hours before. But I did not laugh” (Harvey).  Withencroft and Mr. Atkinson are trying to put all of the pieces together and find the answers as to how and why they have drawn the same thing. Mr. Atkinson, in a serious manner, makes a comment about the events that likely occurred, a comment that would have been funny hours prior to this, yet is no longer something to laugh about. Harvey uses reversal to create suspense by describing how Withencroft went out for a walk, feeling fine and dandy, but in a matter of seconds, his whole demeanor changed.

Another way that Harvey creates suspense in this story is by putting a character in danger. Withencroft has now been with Atkinson for hours, and has eaten dinner with him and his wife. James and Chas go out to the porch to talk, and decide that the best thing to do is for Withencroft to stay with Atkinson until twelve o’clock. Withencroft says, “I am writing this at a shaky table before the open window” (Harvey). Withencroft is now in a state of worry and does not feel comfortable where he is at. He does not know what is going to happen next, which creates a feeling of suspense. It is now the end of the story, and Withencroft describes what the weather outside is like and explains that the weather could be enough to make a person mad and act on that anger. Withencroft says, “But the heat is stifling. It is enough to send a man mad”(Harvey). As the story is drawn to a close, Withencroft explains that it is getting hotter by the minute, and as a result of the heat, a man might be angry and could potentially do something he regrets. Harvey uses the method of putting a character in danger to create suspense by describing how Withencroft was eating with Atkinson and his wife, and how everything eventually took a turn for the worse. 

In his writing, “August Heat”, W.F. Harvey uses foreshadowing, reversal, and putting a character in danger  to create suspense for the reader. Foreshadowing, reversal, and putting a character in danger simultaneously work together in order to give a look into what will happen next to the reader. People enjoy horror stories because it is a journey of not knowing what will happen next, which creates suspense. This suspense intrigues readers and makes them want to know the ending to the story. Horror stories will be popular in the near future because readers want to feel the suspense and want to find out how the story ends.