Question

Passage Excerpt:
“As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon—then all is darkness and silence!”

Question:

What is the effect of Bierce’s manipulation of time in the story?

It reveals the protagonist’s background more clearly.
It confuses the reader to mirror the character’s mindset.
It creates suspense and emphasizes the power of illusion.
It provides a detailed historical context for the Civil War.

Answer 1

The effect of Bierce’s manipulation of time in the story primarily serves to **create suspense and emphasize the power of illusion**. The abrupt shift from the climactic moment of physical action to darkness and silence heightens the tension and leaves the reader in uncertainty, mirroring the protagonist's disorientation. This technique also emphasizes the themes of perception versus reality, making it less about the character’s past or historical context and more about the immediate psychological and emotional experience.