The First Betrayal by Patricia Bray Literary Analysis Essay Sample

In The Last Betrayal, Patricia Bray uses connotative diction, detail, and figurative language to reveal the suspenseful mood of the story. 

Patricia Bray creates suspense by using connotative diction that conveys an ominous mood for the reader. For example, the words unease, terror, and trembled create a feeling of apprehension because they depict emotions or actions that one can feel when they are in a situation that creates suspense. The words lashed, relentless, and merciless also emphasize the feeling of apprehension because they create a dark and harsh meaning that hints at bigger things to come.

The author creates a pattern of light imagery with the details “..the soft light illuminated..” and “..the platform with their radiance..”. This pattern shows that the images of light portray safety, joy, and hope. The author uses the contrasting use of the darkness with the use of light, such as “..darkness engulfed him.” and “darkness consumed the light”. This pattern shows that darkness inflicts terror and further establishes a mood of suspense. the figurative language used to describe the wind and the water create a feeling of suspense?

The quotes “The sea outside threatened to devour the tower.”,  “The wind was howling intensely.”, and “The angry ocean was swallowing the lighthouse.” are all the author’s use of personification to contribute to the suspenseful mood. The author’s use of personification in these three quotes creates a more intense mood of suspense. She uses words like swallowing and devour to portray an ominous mood throughout the passage.

In this entire passage, Patricia Bray uses multiple literary devices to further support the idea of an ominous and suspenseful mood. The diction and figurative language together make the story sound very dramatic. Whereas the mood is further heightened by the additional use of the imagery that shows both sides of how the lighthouse can be portrayed while still creating that ominous mood.