Language

Here we give talk ab…

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General description of the language

The language of “The Swimmer” by S.J. Butler is complex and often figurative because the narrative is filled with descriptions of the setting and character’s actions. Dialogue is missing from the short story because the text features only one character and it is focused on the character’s thoughts and actions. The choice of words is closely related to the setting and the atmosphere—the river and the hot summer.

The story is very descriptive when it comes to the setting and acti…

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Similes and metaphors

The story only includes one simile, which is used together with a metaphor: “Her thoughts pull to and fro like overworked dough, a sticky grey mess of deadlines and undefined anxiety.” (ll. 32-33). The simile is used to suggest the numerous thoughts coming into the character’s mind while the metaphor suggests they are undefined (“a sticky grey mess”) and a result of the character’s feelings of anxiety towards swimming in the river.

The character’s thoughts are also described metaphoric…

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Repetitions

A few repetitions catch the reader’s eye while others are more subtle. Two obvious repetitions can be found in the following quotations: “No one’s out there. If she goes now, she’ll have the river to herself. No one will see. (l. 16); “She doesn’t look at the water today. She doesn’t give it time.”…

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Rhetorical questions

Several rhetorical questions are used to convey the character’s thoughts. The first one suggests the character is trying to encourage herself to go for a swim: “Why hasn’t she swum before? People have swum in rivers for generations.” (l. 19)

In the following examples, the rhetorical questions suggest the character’s…