In a criminal investigation, is anyone connected to the victim really safe from interrogation ?
Title and Narrator
Author Background
What makes the title "Under Suspicion" significant to the story?
- The saying of being "Under Suspicion" to this story means despite anyone's title in society, they aren't free from suspicion
How is the story narrated and who is the narrator?
- It's narrated through 3rd person with the narrator being the author
Clark Howard
- Born in 1935 and raised in Chicago, IL
- Joined the Marine Corps and fought in Korea
- Soon after, became a prolific writer of the crime genre
- Has won many awards for his numerous short stories and novels
Intro and Conclusion Analysis
Double Meanings
The meanings of this story was pretty direct:
- The one's who committed wrongdoings
= people who ignore consequences of their actions
The Themes
- The one's who remained innocent
=people who decide not to do wrong even though can
- The main theme is that no one should be crossed over just because they may have a respectable title or reputation
- A minor theme is the ignorance of the repercussions of a wrongdoing in pursuit if its rewards
- The second minor theme, is that for every wrongdoing there's a repercussion
The intro leads with a suspicion of the protagonist, a policeman, of being amongst criminals when soon after he's asked to commit a crime himself for a friend, but then refuses
The conclusion leads the protagonist agreeing to commit the crime to help his friend after losing his care of the consequences and looking into its rewards
Analysis: Throughout the story numerous people commit wrongdoings, but this ominous feeling for the rewards allows them to easily do so
Extra on the Author
- Grew up as a delinquent and frequent runaway
- Was sent to a state reformatory for disobedient behavior
- Has written over 20 novels and 200 short stories
My Response
I believed the story was very interesting because:
- The characters were very realistic
- The story kept a consistent theme
- In the end, the author made the reader fill in who could have been the killer of the victim
Short Story: Under Suspicion
By Kurt English