Language

Style of language

The short story “Aline’s Journey” by Edwidge Danticat is written in an informal style. The narration uses contractions, and the sentences are short, conveying the sequence of events in a concise manner (p. 14, ll. 9-13). This reminds readers that the story is written from the point of view of a child who experiences difficult events.

The tone is casual and conversational, closely resembling spoken conversation, sometimes using exclamation points to further underline an idea. For instance: “I had no idea we were going to the United States. And so soon!” (p. 12, l. 3). This highlights the unexpected nature of the journey. Another example: “Slowly the stars begin to fade. And finally daylight!” (p. 13, ll. 32-33). This suggests that Aline has been looking forward to the night ending.

There are a couple of instances in which the narrator appears to carry ou...