The Use of Ambiguity to Strengthen Suspense in Robert Cormier’s Novel In certain novels the author uses ambiguity to help strengthen the suspense. Robert Cormier’s I Am the Cheese contains many examples of ambiguity. Adam Farmer is an adolescent boy whose parents are under the protection of the government. He and his family are living a fake life after his dad testified against a criminal. There are many times in the novel where ambiguity is used. The novel is open to interpretation in certain parts since Cormier is not directly clear with what he intends on the reader to understand. Cormier’s use of ambiguity helped strengthen the suspense by allowing the reader to interpret parts of the novel in their own way. Throughout I Am the Cheese, Robert Cormier uses ambiguity when Brint is trying to get information out of Adam during their sessions. In the book, there are many scenarios where certain phrases or actions could be perceived differently depending on the reader. Cormier uses ambiguity in times where there is heavy suspense. When Adam is speaking to Brint you never know what Brint is trying to get out of Adam, which is an example of ambiguity. In the novel the author states, “Because you always direct me along certain paths” (page 187 paragraph 9). Adam is saying to Brint that he thinks Brint is directing him to say certain information. The reader does not know what information Brint is trying to reveal. This moment could be interpreted in many ways, which adds to
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