What are examples of suspense in "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin?

One way an author creates suspense is by developing a rising action that leaves the reader uncertain of what's to follow. In his short story "The Cold Equations," author Tom Godwin creates suspense in his very first sentence:

He was not alone.

These words conjure up a multitude of hair-raising images in the reader's mind of stalkers and other predators lurking in hidden places. The sentence also immediately creates rising action because the reader knows that, as the story unfolds, the reader will learn who else is present in the story. But, since the reader is not given any clues prior to this opening sentence as to who the character is and who else is with the character, the rising action also leaves the reader uncertain of upcoming events.

Red herrings are often also used to create suspense. A red herring is an "irrelevant topic" used to distract the audience ("Red Herring," Literary Devices). A red herring is a type of logical fallacy that, when used in an argument, distracts the audience from the real issue. When used in literature, a red herring misleads a reader into drawing a conclusion that differs from the story's true resolution ("Red Herring").

Godwin creates a red herring at the start of the story when, after the narrator explains there is a stowaway on the ship, the narrator also describes Barton as completely accustomed to the sight of a man dying and ready to take a man's life per necessity. The use of the word man in the early paragraphs makes the reader think as Barton thinks, that the stowaway is a grown man who understands the repercussions of his actions. In reality, the stowaway is a young, innocent girl, which creates a new set of problems for the story. By using the word man in the early paragraphs, Godwin creates a red herring to throw the reader off and make the girl's presence more surprising, thereby creating suspense.

The classic science fiction short story "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin tells of the pilot of a small Emergency Dispatch Ship that is carrying vital medical supplies. The pilot, named Barton, discovers a stowaway aboard, which is unacceptable because the fuel aboard the EDS cannot handle the extra weight. Normally, he would eject the stowaway immediately, but he faces a dilemma when his unwanted passenger turns out to be a teenage girl named Marilyn. He contacts his superior and does everything he can to try to find a solution, but ultimately, the cold equations of his fuel supply leave no alternative but to eject the poor girl into space.

Foreshadowing in a story is an indication or warning in advance of what is going to happen in the course of the plot. "The Cold Equations" has two major examples of foreshadowing early in the story.

A foreshadowing of Marilyn's ultimate death comes before she is even revealed as the stowaway. As soon as Barton discovers that there is a stowaway aboard, before he even opens the closet in which she is hiding, Godwin reveals his thought processes as he goes over the regulations in his mind and realizes what he must do. He considers the necessity for rocket fuel on small EDS craft and that the amount of fuel is rationed only for the pilot and the cargo. His mission will save many lives, and there is no question of getting rid of whoever has come illegally on board.

A foreshadowing of Barton's hesitancy, keeping Marilyn in the spacecraft as long as he can, and doing everything he can possibly do to come up with a solution before he has to eject her into space comes as soon as he realizes who his stowaway is. She looks up at him unafraid and smelling of perfume and he thinks:

Now what? Had it been asked in the deep, defiant voice of a man, he would have answered it with action, quick and efficient. He would have taken the stowaway's identification disk and ordered him into the airlock. Had the stowaway refused to obey, he would have used the blaster. It would not have taken long; within a minute the body would have been ejected into space—had the stowaway been a man.

These two examples of foreshadowing at the beginning of the story indicate the rest of the plot, including the futile attempts to save Marilyn and the ultimate tragic conclusion.

What is the source of suspense in The Cold Equations?

The source of the suspense lies in the tension between the dictates of morality and the demands of the relevant regulations. Barton knows all the regulations chapter and verse. If he's to make his delivery of vital medical supplies to the planet Woden, then absolutely no stowaways can be allowed on board ship. Yet at the same time Barton doesn't initially do his duty and eject Marilyn into deep space as he ought to. There seems to be a possibility—however remote—that he will somehow find a way to reconcile the twin demands of law and conscience in coming up with a novel solution to his moral predicament. This keeps the reader guessing as to what might happen next and allows Godwin to explore these vital themes in greater depth.

The source of suspense in The Cold Equations by Tom Goodwin begins immediately in that space is considered the final frontier. While traveling in space the laws of nature must be followed and any deviation can lead to disaster. This sets the stage for a suspenseful journey.

Soon after the Emergency Dispatch lifts off, the captain detects something unknown in the supply closet. What is it? Is it alive? What is it doing onboard? It is a living body, but why is it there when Barton, the pilot, is the only one who is supposed to be aboard? The suspense builds. Because of the precision needed to fly an emergency vehicle, Barton knows exactly what he has to do when his indicator tells him that there is a stowaway aboard.

What should he do when he tells the stowaway to step out of hiding only to determine that it is an innocent teenage girl? Who is she, and what fate awaits her? The suspense continues as these questions are answered throughout the story.

What are examples of rising action in "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin?

In Tom Godwin's short story "The Cold Equations," pilot Barton's internal conflict does not begin until the stowaway emerges to reveal herself to be a girl. Prior to that moment, there is no conflict because Barton accepts the fact that, per regulation based on the calculation of the amount of fuel, the stowaway must be jettisoned upon discovery and feels fully prepared to do so even though he needs a great deal of courage to take another man's life. Since rising action develops the moment the conflict is introduced and leads the reader towards the climax, the rising action begins the moment Marilyn emerges from the closet.

The first moment of rising action occurs when Barton begins asking Marilyn how she came to stow away on the EDS, why she stowed away, and how. All of her answers to these questions reveal she stowed away in hopes of seeing her brother, who she hasn't seen in 10 years, and anticipated having to pay a fine for breaking a regulation. Her answers further reveal that since she is a teenage girl from Earth, she is completely naive of the dangers posed by outer space, and of the fact that every life in the frontier is at the mercy of the laws of nature, including hers.

A second moment of rising action occurs when, against policy, Barton radios to speak with the commander of the Stardust to inform him of the unusual stowaway situation and ask if anything can be done to rescue her. The commander replies with the answer the reader is already anticipating: it's impossible to turn the Stardust around to rescue her since lives on distant planets are depending on the Stardust's scheduled arrival.

A third moment of rising action occurs when Barton refuses to report Marilyn's time of death to Ship's Records but instead asks the commander permission to continue at the decreased deceleration speed of .10 gravity in order to keep her on the ship and alive as long as possible.