Making Time Move Slowly

Even though the events of the story are told in chronological order, Tom and the reader are both shocked to discover on page 29 that only eight minutes have passed. How does Finney make time seem to move more slowly?


Every technique Finney uses to slow time down is related to the use of the factors of suspense. Since this is a suspense story, the factors of suspense are incorporated into this short story. These elements include foreshadowing and flashback; setting, mood, diction; sentence structure. Sentence structure is probably the most important element that causes the time lag. Finney incorporates long sentences combining dashes, commas, and long descriptive details that compose of the story. This causes the story to essentially feel - and look - a lot longer. The use of setting also allows a time lag; a man, quaking on a ledge high above the city, holding for dear life as the wind rushes past him - this causes the reader to "freeze" in suspense, whether it be in real life or in writing. The use of flashback also causes time to move sluggishly - Tom has flashbacks of what has happened, which takes up time as the flashback unfolds in writing. As you can see, Finney uses methods from factors of suspense to slow down time in his short story "Contents of a Dead Man's Pocket."