In the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Interlopers,” authors Shirley Jackson and Saki (respectively) use rhythm, text structure, and strong moods to create suspense. Through the use of the literary elements mentioned above, the reader is surprised at the end of both stories. The authors may not have used literary elements in entirely similar ways, but they have the same effect on every story: provoking anticipation in the reader. Through the use of pacing, authors are able to develop their stories and create suspense as the surprise ending of their tales approaches. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the very first sentence of the book “The Lottery,” Jackson sets the pace of the book for the reader by saying, “The morning of June 27 was clear and sunny, with the cool warmth of a high summer day; the flowers were blooming copiously and the grass was richly green.” reader to understand what the lottery is and why it is important. While Shirley Jackson creates suspense by keeping the pace slow, Saki creates suspense and tension by increasing the pace of the book as more action occurs , although the author's use of rhythm creates tension and suspense, the author's text structure also creates suspense. The authors of “The Lottery” and “The Interlopers” also use text structure to build theirs stories Through character development, both authors show how the characters' lives affect what happens. For example, in “The Interlopers” the structure of the text develops the characters by showing that there has been an enduring rivalry between the Gadwitz and families. Znaeym, also creates tension because it shows that the rivalry has lasted a very long time. This is demonstrated in the second paragraph when Saki writes: “A famous lawsuit, in his grandfather's time, had torn him from the illegal possession of the neighboring family of small landowners; the expropriated party had never consented to the judgment of the courts, and a long series of poaching brawls and similar scandals had soured relations between the families. The quote indicates why the Gadwitz and Znaeym families hate each other, which sets off a chain reaction of events that unfold in the book. While Saki uses character development, Shirley Jackson uses chronological order so the reader can get all the details of the lottery and what. And. Jackson describes the lottery procedure without actually saying what it is when he says, “There was a lot of commotion going on before Mr. Summers declared the lottery open. There were lists to compile... of the heads of families. heads of each family. members of each household in each family. There was the actual swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster general, as lottery official. Saying what happens without actually saying what happens makes the reader anxious to find out the purpose of the lottery. In addition to the rhythm and structure of the text, the author uses mood to create suspense and tension. In the stories "The Lottery" and "The Interlopers", both authors' use of mood creates suspense. In “The Lottery” the opening sentence of the book gives the setting of the story. The opening sentence says: “The morning of June 27 was clear and sunny, with the cool warmth of a high summer day; the flowers bloomed profusely and the grass was richly green.” the reader can imagine in their head what the scene is and what the atmosphere is. The atmosphere evokes feelings in the reader at the end of the book that contradict the calm setting used at the beginning. While in “The Interlopers” the author begins with a state of mind.