How to Produce a Surprise Ending for Readers精品文档10页.docx

How to Produce a Surprise Ending for Readers精品文档10页.docx

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HowtoProduceaSurpriseEndingforReaders精品文档10页

HowtoProduceaSurpriseEndingforReaders

　　Abstract：

“Twistending”iswellusedbywritersinanovelinordertoleavereadersastrongimpression.Inthisessay，theauthorwillfocusonthenarrativestrategiesthatproducesuchasurpriseendinginashortstory，usingastheexampleO.Henry’sTheLastLeaf（1907）.TheauthorgiveseachofstrategiesO.Henryusedinthenovelanameandexplainshowitisusedtoproduceasurpriseending，standingatthereaders’perspective.

　　KeyWords：

writingstrategies；surpriseending；reader-response

　　1.Introduction

　　Inordertoattractreaders’attention，writersoftenmakethebestuseofastrategy-asurpriseendingintheirstories.Somepeoplegivethiskindofstrategyaname，aplottwist，whichmeansthatitisasuddenandthoroughchangeintheunexpecteddirectionoroutcomeoftheplotofastory.Whenaplottwisthappensneartheendofastory，especiallywhenitchangesreaders’opinionsofthepreviousplots，peoplecallitasurpriseending.ThemostfamouswriterusingthistechniquemaybeO.Henry.O.Henry，anAmericanwriter，isfamousforusingthiskindofendinginhisstories.Hewrotemorethan600storiesinhisshortwritingcareerandissaidtohavepopularizedthe“twistending”.GeorgeMonteiroindicatedinhisessaythatO.Henry’sstoriesworktowardsurprising，sometimesastonishingendings（GeorgeMonteiro1）.

　　Inthisessay，theauthorwillfocusonthenarrativestrategiesthatproduceasurpriseendinginashortstory，usingastheillustrativeexampleO.Henry’sTheLastLeaf（1907），afamousshortstoryforbringingreadersanunexpectedending，alsoamasterpieceofO.Henry.Formanyreaders，theendingofTheLastLeafisnotinthedirectiontheymayhavethoughtintheprocessofreadingandrevealsthesecretandtruthatthelastmomentthatmakepeoplesuddenlyawareandsurprised，whichisidenticaltoO.Henry’sothershortstorieswithasurpriseending，suchasTheGiftoftheMagiandTheRansomofRedChief.Consideringtheliterarytheoryandschoolsofcriticism，inthisessay，weusereader-responsecriticism.

　　2.StrategiesUsedtoProducetheSurpriseEnding

　　Afteranalyzingthewholestory，theauthorconsidersthatthesurpriseendinginTheLastLeafisproducedbyfourstrategies：

asuddenchangeoftheprotagonist’sfortune，theinconsistencybetweenwhatpeoplesayandwhatpeopledo，arevelationofanincredibletruthandanabruptstopoftheplot.Inthefollowingparagraphs，theauthorwillexplainthesefourstrategiesmorespecificallyandillustratehowtheyareusedinTheLastLeaf.　　2.1ASuddenChangeoftheProtagonist’sFortune

　　ThefirststrategyO.HenryusesinTheLastLeafishisdesignofJohnsy’sfortunate，whichchangesabruptlyandgivesreadersasurprise.ItisreallyabigsurpriseforreaderswhentheyfindthereisachangeinJohnsy’sfortunefromasickandhopelessgirltoahealthyandhopefulone，whichmakesreadershappyandsatisfied.Attheverybeginningofthestory，thewriterusedmanywordstodescribetheseriousnessofJohnsy’sillness.Thedoctorrepeatedthat“shehasonechancein-letussay，ten.”Whatisworse，Johnsylostallherhopeforlifeandbecameverynegativetowardsherlife.Shecountedandcountedthenumberofleavesontheivyvineoutsidethewindowofherbedroom.Shebelievedthatwhenthelastleafofthosefiveleftfell，shemustgo.“Leaves.Ontheivyvine.WhenthelastonefallsImustgo，too.I’veknownthatforthreedays.Didn’tthedoctortellyou？

”（O.Henry2）JohnsytoldtoherfriendSue.

　　Thisbeliefseemsnegative，incredibleandevenridiculousforreaders，butthisbeliefpartlyhelpsO.HenrytocreateasurpriseendingforTheLastLeaf.Mostreadersthinkthatsuchaseriously-sickgirlwholostallherhopeforlifemustdiewiththefallofthelastleafandthestorywouldbeatotaltragedy.However，shechangedhermindabruptlywhenshesawthelastleafwasstillonthetreeafterseveralstormy，windyanddreadfulnights.Afterwards，shebecamehopefulandbegantorecoverfromherillness.Thesuddenchangeofaprotagonist’sfortunecontributestoasurpriseendingforreaders.

　　Theauthorwantstogivethiskindofstrategyaname，acontraryending.Thatmeansinthepreviousplotsofthestory，forexample，thewritercreatesaforwarddirectionleadingreaderstogoonthewaytogetherandformtheemotionorideaappearingsimilartothewriter’s，whichmakesreadersbelievethattheycananticipatetheendingcorrectlywithsatisfactionandconsiderthattheyarebecomingthehostoftheplot.Nevertheless，whenitcomestotheend，thedirectionturnsbackwardunexpectedlyandsuddenly.Allreadersseemtofallintoatrapcreatedbythewriterinordertoleavereadersasurprise.Forexample，inTheLastLeaf，allsentencesaboutJohnsymakereadersbelievethatshemayfacethedeathattheendofthestory.However，neartheending，thedirectionofJonesy’sdestinyturnsinanoppositeway.Thefunctionofthisstrategyistoleavereadersadeepimpression.　　2.2TheInconsistencybetweenWhatPeopleSayandWhatPeopleDo

　　Secondly，O.Henrycreatesacharacterwhoseutteranceisnotconsistentwithhisaction.ThecharacterisBehrmaninthisstoryTheLastLeaf.Concerninghisfirstappearanceinthisstory，itleavesreadersanegativeimpression.WhenSuefoundhim，tellinghimthesituationofJohnsy，andexplainedherstrangeideaofthelastleaf，he“shoutedhiscontemptandderisionforsuchidioticimaginings”.TheseutteranceandperformancemakereadersholdathoughtthatBehrmanisindifferentanddoesnotcaretoomuchaboutJohnsy’shealth.Onthecontrary，thesurpriseendingrevealsthedeepthoughtofBehrman.InordertogiveJohnsyahopeforlifewiththehelpofthelastivyleaf，Behrmansacrificedhislifetopaintafakeleafonthewall.BehrmantriedhisbesttoofferahopetoJohnsywithhisbehavior.Thedescriptionofhimintheendtouchedplentyofreaders.Uptotheending，readersfindthattheinconsistencybetweenwhatBehrmansaidandwhathedidgivesthemabigunexpectedness.

　　Theauthorgivesthisstrategyaname，acontrastending，whichmeansthatthewritercreatesacontrastinthestory.Inthisstory，O.HenrycreatedacontrastbetweenBehrman’sutteranceandhisaction.Hisunselfishactionattheendofstorycannotbeeasilyconcludedfromhiswordsinpreviousdescription.Itisreallymakesreadersunexpectedattheendofthestory.Thefunctionofthisstrategyisthatitrevealsthenatureofaneventoracharacterandinthemeantime，thestrategyemphasizestheessence.Bydisplayingacontrast，readerscaneasilytofindouttheessenceandunderstandthethemeofastory.InTheLastLeaf，byshowingthecontrast，readersunderstandthatBehrmanisreallyagreatandunselfishmanandtheadmirationforhimarisesimmediately.Thoughalittleunexpected，thisstrategyisbeneficialforreaderstounderstandthewholestory.

　　2.3ARevelationofanIncredibleTruth

　　Next，therevelationofanincredibletruthalsoleadstoasurpriseending.Inthewholestory，thefunctionofthelastivyleafisveryimportanttoallthecharacters.WhenJohnsybegantousetheleavestodecideherdeath，readersbecomemoreinterestedinthem.ReadershopethatthelastleafwillalwaysbetheresoastosupportJohnsytolivelonger，buttheweatherwasnotsatisfactory.Withdreadfulwindsandstormsallthenights，thelastleafwasinaverydangeroussituation.Readerseventhinkthatthelastleafiseasytofallatanytime.However，thelastleafwassostrongandpowerfulthatitstillexistedafterseveralstormynights.　　JustlikewhatJohnsythought，readersbelievethatitis“somethinghasmadethatleafstaytheretoshowmehowwickedIwas”.Readersbegintosmilewhenreadingthissentenceandareconfidentthatallthethingswillbecomebetter.Nevertheless，thewriteragaincreatesasurpriseforreaders.Attheendofthestory，thewriterrevealsthetruereasonforwhythelastleafstillstayedtherethatitwaspaintedbyBehrman；itisnotarealleaf.

　　Thenameofthisstrategyisadisclosureending.Thiskindofendingisabundantwithinformation，formuchofthemarenotmentionedinpreviousplots.Readersgettoknowthetruthatthelastmomentofthestory，whichisaveryinterestingandexcitingexperienceforreaders.Usingthisstrategycankindofarousereaders’attraction，becausewhenpeoplearereadingwithconfusionoradoubt，theyaredesperateforfindingoutthetruth.Theonlywaytogetthetruthisreadingcontinuouslytotheend.Thatisreallyausefulstrategytomakereadersreadthewholestorywithaninterest.Thedisclosureofthetruthattheendofthestoryisalsousedforrevealingthethemewhichisveryimportantforunderstandingastory.Thiswaytoshowthethemeisingenious.

　　2.4AnAbruptStopofthePlot

　　Lastly，thestorycomestoanendabruptlyandleavesmanyplotswithoutfurtherdescription，whichmakesreaderssurprised.Attheendofthenovel，therewasnodescriptionaboutthereflectionofJonesywhensheheardthenewsthatBehrmandiedofher.Moreover，therewasnofurtherdescriptionaboutthefuturelifeofSueandJonesy.Thoseplotsappearinthereaders’mindafterreadingtheprecedingparagraphsbuttheydidnotappearinthenovel.Thiskindofwritinggivesenoughroomforreaderstoimagineandthinkontheirown.

　　Thenameofthisstrategyisafantasyending，whichclearlyshowtheeffectcausedbythiskindofending.Withoutmoreenoughinformationaboutthecharactersinthefuture，whatallreaderscandoisimaginationby