Question

Reflect on your reading of Guy de Maupassant's "An Uncomfortable Bed" by answering the following questions about the mood and tone of the work. Consider the end of the story. How does Guy de Maupassant create suspense and surprise at the end?

Answer 1

Answer:

The author creates suspense by providing possible scenarios of what may happen. The narrator examines the room in great detail, and the reader gets a sense that something can happen at any moment. The room becomes quiet and dark and, even as he goes to sleep, the narrator is convinced something will happen. Instead of immediately telling readers what happens when the narrator wakes up, the author provides ambiguous details. “I stretched out my hand to find out what was the nature of this object. I felt a face, a nose, and whiskers which made me jump straight out of the soaked sheets, and rush in my nightshirt into the corridor, the door of which I found open.” Finally, the narrator shares that he actually caused the whole incident to happen.

PLATO

Answer 2

Answer:

The author, Guy de Maupassant, uses a humorous mood and tone throughout the story "An Uncomfortable Bed". The narrator’s paranoia (an irrational and persistent feeling that people are 'out to get you') after reaching his friend’s place makes the situation very humorous.

Explanation:

"An Uncomfortable Bed" is a humorous short story. Although the readers can feel the humorous tone from the very beginning narrator himself remains very serious throughout the story. This fact makes the story and narrator’s situation even funnier. The narrator’s soliloquy, “Look out, old ferret! They have something in preparation for you" starts a series of events which only lead to laughter.

His warm reception by his friends at their place, his eating style at dinner, then making adjustments in the sleeping room are all depicted in comical manner, while the narrator himself remains unaware of the funny side of his actions (just like Mr. Bean).

At the end of the story author creates suspense. The narrator tells us that when he had been in deep sleep (in the middle of the room on the floor) for some long time, he felt some heavy object on him. There was also some burning liquid all over his face, neck and chest. The narrator with great difficulty could success in knowing that that heavy object had a face, a nose, and whiskers. In the second last paragraph of he story this suspense is resolved as that heavy object was a valet who had brought tea and breakfast for him, but stumbled on the narrator’s bed in the middle of the room .