The Disappeared - Essay Example

The Disappeared by Charles Baxter Charles Baxter creates suspense by placing the character in a dangerous environment where he is new and cannot understand the cause of some pungent smell all the way from the airport. The opening paragraph of the story is laden with descriptions of the odor that hit the character. In addition, the author employs a delaying tactic before mentioning the character to draw the readers to the characters thinking and worry about the smell. Baxter enables the readers to visualize the character in the situation where he cannot understand the odor.

In addition, he creates suspense, as Anders is unable to establish the smell majorly because he is new in the city (Detroit). The author employs comparison when Anders tries to compare his home country (Sweden) with America. Such comparison creates suspense as the reader becomes intrigued and reads on in an attempt to figure out the origin and cause of the pungent smell. Baxter employs dialogue to amplify the suspense as the reader tries to figure out the cause of the smell. Anders and the cab driver engage in dialogue as he [Anders] attempts to understand the environment.

Baxter portrays Anders as naïve and the cab driver as the resident used to the environment. The cab driver explains to Anders that the pungent smell represents Detroit. Baxter employs a metaphor by linking the smell to Detroit. In addition, it is evident that Anders is in a dilemma between understanding what the driver said and his thoughts that the smell came from a fire. The reader is forced to read on to establish why Detroit is associated with such a smell and how Anders will cope maneuvering the city with such naivety.

It is without doubt that Baxter employs metaphors, descriptions, plot setting, and dialogue to establish suspense; hence, tension to intrigue the readers into reading the literary piece. Work CitedBaxter, Charles. "The Disappeared." Michigan Quarterly Review: Vol. 29, No. 2. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.