Language
The language employed by Irwin Shaw in “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” is straightforward and matter-of-fact.
The story is built mainly on the dialogue between the two characters, with little involvement from the narrator. The dialogue relies on simple words which mimic everyday vocabulary and which also mirror the relationship between spouses and their ordinary conversations:
‘Is it a date?’
‘It’s a date.’
Frances leaned over and kissed him on the tip of the ear.
‘Darling,’ Michael said, ‘this is Fifth Avenue’”
‘Let me arrange a …
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Imagery
Imagery is also present in the short story and most of it comes from the way in which Michael portrays the women of New York. Here is just one extract in which different types of women are described and in which visual imagery is noticeable:
‘I like the girls in the offices. Neat, with their eyeglasses, smar…
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Similes
A few similes are also employed by Irwin Shaw in the text. For instance, the story opens with the simile “everything looked like Sunday morning” (l. 2), which refers to the quietness and harmony of the day. Another simile which the author e…
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Repetitions
The repetition of the expression “I like” is very obvious when Michael confesses to his wife about looking at bea…
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Symbols
The short story also relies on several symbols, which we will discuss below.
The city of New York is one of the most important symbols in the story. For Michael, who enjoys looking at all categories of beautiful wo…
