How is tension built in chapter one of ‘Watership Down’? CAND 2

CANDIDATE 2

How is tension built in chapter one of ‘Watership Down’?

The opening sentence ‘the primroses were over’ already creates an impact on the reader as it is very short and direct. The effect of the fact that it is ‘primroses’ that are over is that it suggests something very idyllic and natural has come to an end as nature is often associated with innocence and hope. This creates a feel of tension because it makes the reader think something is about to change and the uncertainty of what this could be creates a nervousness of the unknown.

Adams uses nature to build tension and mood in the opening chapter. The ‘may sunset was red in the clouds’ creates imagery of dark skies and the use of ‘red’ ha s connotations of danger and fear, this is used as foreshadowing for the danger to come. The warren being ‘at peace’ in my opinion adds to the tension in the chapter as it contradicts the imagery of danger, this irony makes the reader feel as if something is about to change. The reader builds up an element of trust in Fiver because of the obvious way Hazel trusts him, this trust and respect that Hazel clearly shows is unusual as Hazel is described as older and bigger than Fiver so in the nature of rabbits, he should be in charge. So when Fiver beings to panic this leads the reader to believe that he is right and tension is added due to the fact that Hazel slightly doubts him and we know he should be trusted.

Humans are painted as a disturbance of nature in the opening chapter. The posts ‘reeking’ of paint suggest that humans have made the area an incredibly unpleasant place. The area was ‘disturbed’ which we can assume was because of the humans who placed the sign. The use of ‘disturbed’ suggests something unwanted and unnatural, this builds tension as we then know that something is not right. The sign casts a ‘long shadow’ across the field, i think that the shadow could possibly be symbolic of the unseen danger that is to come as the shadow could be representative of the uncertainty of the danger. There is also a contrast of the carelessness of the humans in the chapter with the respect that the rabbits have. The humans carelessness for the environment is shown where they leave behind ‘a hammer and a few nails’ which shows their  disregard for the nature. However the rabbits respect for the field and hierarchy is shown as the description of their area is very idyllic at the start which shows how they do not do anything to disturb it. Also although Hazel and Fiver were originally unhappy with the Owslas treatment of them, they still move for them, showing their respect for the natural order of things. This contrast with the rabbits and the humans, paints the humans already as the unnatural disturbance in the first chapter which is an ongoing theme in the book.

The addition of the sign, which allows the reader to know what is happening but not the characters in the book, at the end of the chapter adds to the tension as it creates dramatic irony. Also it relates Fiver to ‘Cassandras Curse’ as we know he is right but as no one believes him the prophecy of the curse becomes evident.  The use of supernatural also furthers the tension because it furthers the idea of something unnatural happening in this warren so we believe