Before I help you analyze some means that are used to create the tension in Ernest Hemingway’s “A Day’s Wait,” I think the term tension should be defined.

Typically, tension refers to a strained state or circumstance. It implies an emotional or physical predicament that is under a considerable amount of pressure.

One way that Hemingway creates tension in his short story is through his rather slippery characters. Of all of the characters that make an appearance in “A Day’s Wait,” only one of them is given a name. The lack of names might add to the strain or pressure in the story. It seems to reinforce the mystery or miscomprehension at the center of the plot. Remember, only the boy has a name, and that name isn’t exactly common or a breeze to pronounce.

Another means for tension in the story could be foreshadowing. At one point, the dad leaves Schatz. He goes to hunt quail with the dog (who also doesn’t have a name). Before the birds flee, the dad manages to kill two. A reader might not be wrong to think that this incident could foreshadow the fate of the boy. Perhaps the boy will die like the two quail. This tentative foreshadowing could be identified as a means of worry, anxiety, or tension. As it turns out, this is not foreshadowing, it’s what’s called a “red herring.”

Now that you have two means of tension in Hemingway's short story, hopefully you can identify and analyze a third on your own.