The statement that best analyzes how a key literary element helps create a suspenseful mood in the first half of the story is:
© The first-person point of view limits the readers' understanding of what is happening, heightening a feeling of suspense for the reader.
The first-person point of view is a key literary element in this story that helps create a suspenseful mood. The reader only knows what the narrator knows, and because the narrator is in a state of confusion and uncertainty, the reader is also left feeling uncertain and on edge. The limited perspective of the first-person point of view increases the feeling of suspense for the reader, as they are unable to see the bigger picture and are left guessing about what will happen next.