How does Farley Mowat create suspense in the novel, Never Cry Wolf?

By Ishaan Patel  5th hour 

                    Farley Mowat knows how to create suspense. In his novel, Never Cry Wolf, he creates suspense in multiple ways. This book is about Farley Mowat (himself) and his study of the wolves in an area in Canada that is subarctic. He has been researching the wolves for months and will continue until he has enough information to complete his observation. He also named the wolves in his observations. He named the wolves George, Angeline, and Uncle Albert. Mowat is learning something new about wolves everyday he is observing the wolves. Mowat also creates suspense during his observations of the wolves. The suspense he creates wants you to jump out of your seat. The two techniques that Farley Mowat uses to create suspense is the setting and the thoughts of the narrator which is the author (Farley Mowat). 

                    One technique Farley Mowat uses to create suspense is the setting. The setting tells the reader many things in this novel. The setting of the novel is in a subarctic area in Canada. The setting has wolves, caribou, mice, and other animals. It also has people such as Eskimos. Mowat describes the setting in a suspenseful way by putting himself in an area in which he can get injured or killed within seconds. For example, “Moments later Angeline’s head appeared over the rim of the gully about them feet from me. We stared mutely into each other's eyes for several seconds (165).” Angeline is the female wolf (and George and Uncle Albert are the male wolves). Angeline could be dangerous, vicious, violent, or even a killer but I don't know yet. The suspenseful part of this quote is when Mowat has a chance of dying within seconds, and the reader or the main character doesn't know what is going to happen to Mowat. I also don't know what is going to happen to Mowat. Nobody knows if Angeline is going to kill Mowat or just run away. The setting in the quote has all these possibly dangerous wolves in it. Also, this is the setting that creates suspense throughout the novel. This is how the setting made this part (and many other parts) suspenseful. So basically, this says (and proves) to us that the setting can create suspense. At the end, Angeline did run away but she could've killed Mowat if she wanted to. 

                   Another technique Farley Mowat uses to create suspense is the thoughts of the narrator which is the author (Farley Mowat). The novel tells us the thoughts of Mowat (at all times) during his observations of the wolves. We know when Mowat is nervous, curious, scared, sad, etc. When the main character of a novel is nervous or curious, the reader tends to be nervous or curious, too. This helps create suspense in the novel. When you are nervous or curious of what is going to happen in the novel, usually this means the novel has created suspense (and vice versa). This all happens because the main character is nervous or curious. So basically, the thoughts of the main character can cause suspense in a novel. For example, “In three or four bounds he reached the ridge of the esker, where he stood facing me in an attitude of tense and threatening vigilance (66).” This quote indirectly tells us that Mowat is scared of the wolf because he describes the wolf as a scary wolf. (Later in the book, Mowat names the wolf George.) When the main character is scared, the reader usually tends to become nervous and curious. As I said before, when a reader tends to be nervous or curious, this means a suspenseful part has just happened in the novel. The reader and the main character usually think and feel the same way throughout the novel. So basically, this is saying (and proving) the thoughts of the narrator can create suspense. Overall, Farley Mowat uses great techniques to create suspense in her novel, Never Cry Wolf.