Language

The language of Téa Obreht’s story, “The Sentry”, is descriptive but does not pose major challenges in understanding how the events unfold. Imagery, similes, metaphors, and symbols add deeper meanings to the plot.

Choice of words and imagery

There are numerous descriptive words in the text, typically adjectives and nouns. Some of these descriptive words are related to the setting: “shady linden-lined avenue” (l. 4), “barbed-wire compounds” (l. 45), “hardwood floor” (l. 69), “silent house” (l. 85), “soft mud” (l. 103), “polished mahogany” (l. 114), “some fetid pond, in an unnamed battle” (l. 155)

Most of them create negative imagery and help convey Bojan’s feelings of fear or disgust, such as  “some fetid pond, in an unnamed battle” (l. 155).

Some imagery is related to the way characters look. There are numerous adjectives that describe the dog, Kaiser, which is a key symbol in the short story. Most of them have negative meanings and convey feelings like fear and ideas of violence and domination: “broad skull” (l. 13), “wide feet” (l. 14), “squashed, painted black face” (l. 14), “big, wet face” (l. 54), “ground-shaking barks” (l. 56), “black square jaws” (l. 91)

Similes and metaphors

A few similes (direct comparisons) are used in the story to describe the dog and its actions: “…the mastiff was keen but subdued, like a retired cannon in a museum.” (ll. 41-42); “the dog growling like a rusted grate” (l. ...