In Mark Twain's story, "The Californian's Tale," why would
Henry be considered the
protagonist and the
antagonist?
A. The conflict is when other characters
all go along with his belief that his wife is
coming home.
B. The conflict is his internal struggle with
his torturous memories and his perception
of reality.
C. There is conflict when the narrator is
very accommodating to Henry.

Revealing the outcome of the plot in the prologue can be an effective technique for creating suspense, depending on the type of text we are reading. If the text is meant to conclude in a surprising or unexpected way, and the story is more about the outcome than about the journey, then revealing this conclusion could ruin the story. However, some stories reveal the ending at the very beginning, and this does not mean that the story stops being interesting. An example of this is the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich."