1. Anthony Horowitz
The Hitchhiker

2. Task
How does Anthony Horowitz create a feeling of suspense in his short story “The Hitchhiker”?
Suspense: uncertainty, tension and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions.

3. Paragraph 1 - Introduction
Include:
the author
the genre
the title
Refer to the task
Briefly outline the plot of the story
State how you will answer the task.

4. Paragraph 2 – title and opening
Point: The title of Horowitz’s story is “The Hitchhiker”. We are immediately suspicious of this hitchhiker as we think he must be someone strange and dangerous. Our suspicions seem to be confirmed in the opening paragraph when Jacob, the narrator, blames his dad for stopping.
Evidence:
Explanation: This makes us think that something terrible has happened involving the hitchhiker although we do not know what that is yet. The writer is using a structural device, a hook, to engage the reader and to create a strong feeling of suspense. It is an effective opening as we want to discover what has happened.

5. Paragraph 3 – Characterisation
The narrator describes the character of the hitchhiker in such a way as to make us suspicious of him. This adds to the feeling of suspense in the story. For example…

6. Paragraph 4 - Setting
The setting also adds to the feeling of suspense…

7. Paragraph 5 - structure
The structure of the story adds to the feeling of suspense as the writer builds the level of tension leading to the climax of the story. The climax is when Jacob decides to kick the Hitchhiker out of the car.

8. Paragraph 6 – The resolution
At the end of the story we suddenly realise that the hitchhiker is not a crazed killer. It is the narrator who is suffering from delusions and paranoia.
The writer has used the technique of an unreliable narrator to create a shocking ending.

9. Paragraph 7 - conclusion
“The Hitchhiker” is an short story full of suspense and tension. The writer creates this feeling of suspense through his descriptions of character and setting and by skilfully hooking the reader at the start, building the tension toward the climax and then shocking us with the twist at the end. I thought…