Answer and Explanation:
"Condensed Milk" is a short story by Varlam Shalamov (1907-1982), a Russian writer to spent over 15 years of his life at a Gulag, a Russian forced-labor camp. The story was written based on his real-life experience.
"Condensed Milk" is narrated from a first-person perspective by the unnamed protagonist. The narrative is chronological, which means the narrator presents the events and conflicts in the order they happen. The advantage of the first-person perspective is that we can see into the narrator's head, so to speak. We keep up with his thoughts and "see" the moment when he realizes another character, Shestakov, is deceiving him.
At this point, the narrator uses foreshadowing, a technique which reveals a detail that predicts what will take place further down the plot. While considering Shestakov's proposal to escape the Gulag, the narrator thinks, "Everything here had to be paid for. Either with another man's blood or another man's life." He is right. The men who accept and try to escape are, in the end, either killed or sentenced to more time.
For suspense, the narrator cleverly chooses to not reveal a certain thought and decision. He seems to accept Shestakov's proposal, but it was all a scheme to get Shestakov to bring him some condensed milk. Readers are not told that until after he has drunk the milk: "You know," I said, carefully licking the spoon, "I changed my mind. Go without me."
