Language
The language of the story “The Word Love” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is easy to follow and understand although it is often figurative and metaphorical. The choice of words reflects the context of the events including references to Indian and American lifestyle and culture, relationships, and feelings. Occasionally, the author inserts some Hindi words to give the story more cultural authenticity: “shona” (p. 3, l. 1), “ayah”, (p. 3, l. 22), Missybaba (p. 4, l. 25), etc.
Imagery is constructed in connection to the character of the mother, as well as in connection with the setting: “…her face, the stern angles of it softening into a rare smile, the silver at her temples catching the afternoon sun in the backyard under the pomegranate tre…
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Similes
Several similes appear in the text and help convey the protagonist’s perspective on people and events.
The “wads of paper crumpled tight as stones” (p.1, ll. 15-16) describes the protagonist's attempts to write a letter to her mother. Associating the paper with stones emphasizes how hard it is for the protagonist to tell her mother the truth.
The protagonist’s American boyfriend scolds the protagonist f…
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Metaphors
The story often features figurative and metaphorical language. For example, the words “melt” into a sound (p.1, l. 9), associating words with snow or ice.
In another instance, the narrator’s boyfriend is described as “biting off the ends of the words and spitting them ou…
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Repetition
Repetitions are used to add emphasis to certain images and ideas conveyed in the story. In the following example, repetition conveys the ambivalent attitude the protagonist has when she pract…
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Rhetorical questions
A few rhetorical questions are used to map the protagonist’s line of thoughts or stream of consciousness. In one example, a rhetorical question is introduced in a parenthesis – “(has it only been three months?)” (p. 2, l. 18)—and conveys the idea that the narrator feels like she ha…
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Symbols
The story includes several symbolic elements connected to its themes and characters.
Firstly, there are a few symbolical elements that emphasize the idea of cultural differences such as the beer brand Budweiser which is something typically American, or the references to arranged marriages and lifetime widowing which are …
