Analysis

Here, you can read a very short presentation of our analysis of “The Abortion” by Alice Walker. We will go into much more detail in the following sections.

The story has a traditional plot structure that focuses on an African-American woman who undergoes an abortion procedure and on the impact this procedure has on her marriage. The most important characters are Imani and her husband, Clarence, who's portrait is revealed in connection with his wife and his job.

The setting conveys aspects about 1970s US society related to women’s position, African-American civil rights, abortion, marriage, and careers. The narration follows a limited point of view and is often explicit in terms of actions and feelings but remains implicit and suggestive regarding the characters’ motives.

The language of the short story is easy to understand and occasionally empathetic when it focuses on the characters’ emotional and physical reactions. The choice of words is related to abortion, African-Americans’ socio-political circumstances, and relationships.

You can read the entire analysis in the next pages!