Memoirs of a Geisha - Suspense

The author built suspense in the book, Memoirs of a Geisha, in many different ways.  The first main way that he built suspense was by telling a story of someoby's life, and the one goal that kept them going throughout it.  One example in the text that shows this is,“The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.”  This quote tells of the main character's struggles as a young girl, and how her hopes had been vanquished.  This builds suspense by making the reader wonder if the main character, Chiyo, does ever reach her goal.  This forces the reader to keep reading to find out what happens next. 

Another way that the author builds suspense is by including many antagonists. One of these antagonists is Nobu, the man whom she thinks is inevitable to give her money in return for her company.  The character Nobu helps to build suspense in the book because the reader wants to know if Chiyo is going to have to spend the rest of her life with a man that she doesn't love.  Throughout the book, Chiyo has many interanl conflicts because of this.  She knows that Nobu has a deep interest in her, and it seems as the the man that she loves, the Chairman, doesn't even notice her.  Another antagonist in the story is Hatsumomo, the older geisha that lives with Chiyo.  Hatsumomo goes out of her way to beat down Chiyo emotionally and physically.  This helps to build suspense in the story because you never know when Hatsumomo will strike and how Chiyo will react.  An exapmle of Hatsumomo's meanness to Chiyo can be seen in the quote, "A name as sweet as she is. I'm afraid these days even the common chambermaid can call herself a geisha. So, it's nice to see such a sincere young maiko, isn't it?"  In this quote, Hatsumomo is making fun of Chiyo at a formal gathering.