Examples Of Tension In Into Thin Air

Many people assume that Jon Krakauer’s novel, “Into Thin Air”, is an extremely suspenseful novel of events that played out on top of Mount. Everest. “Into Thin Air” is a novel, describing an expedition involving Krakauer that turned terrifyingly fatal as casualties of fellow expeditioners grew in number. His novel contains numerous examples of mainly two literary devices. Tension, the first device, is a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc. Suspense, the second device, is a state or condition of uncertainty that is accompanied by a feeling of anxiety or anticipation. Jon Krakauer creates a sense of tension and suspense throughout Into Thin Air by using other devices such as foreshadowing and pacing and by employing organizational patterns

Problem and solution devices are a device that an author uses to introduce a problem and various solutions to the problem. In this novel this specific device mainly causes tension more than suspense. In chapter 3, he writes, “Hall had been careful to weed out clients of dubious ability, and would have the means to protect each one of us from one another’s shortcomings.” This specific quote is of tension because it insight to future problems between the diversity of each of the climbers in his group. While there isn’t the solution yet, further on in the next chapter it is stated. This problem and solution device creates mainly tension but suspense as well.

All in all, Krakauer’s novel, “ Into Thin Air “is a novel describing a expedition including him that turned disastrously fatal as casualties of fellow expeditioners grew in number. His novel creates a sense of tension and suspense by using devices like foreshadowing and pacing and by using organizational patterns such as chronological devices and problem and solution by using time lapses and certain