Language

The language of Jess Mowry's short story, “Crusader Rabbit”, is simple and informal. Choosing informal phrases and grammar structures gives the characters authenticity, as they live on the streets: “ ‘Yeah. But don't let 'em go to your head.’ ” (l. 95); “ ‘I never knew there was places like this, pretty, an' without no people an' cars an' shit. For real.’ ” (ll. 225-226)

Imagery

The short story includes numerous examples of imagery as the writer tries to convey the characters’ perspective on each other and their environment. For example, the text opens with a description of one of the characters in a dumpster. This helps the reader form a mental image of Jeremy and the setting: “Jeremy stood, waist-deep in the dumpster, knee-deep in garbage, arms slimed to the elbows from burrowing, and dropped three beer cans to the buckled asphalt.” (ll. 3-5)

A few lines later, the story follows Raglan looking at the boy, creating imagery regarding Jeremy’s physical portrait. “Not for the first time, Raglan thought that Jeremy was a beautiful kid,13, small muscles standing out under tight skin, big hands and feet like puppy paws and hair like an ebony dandelion puff.” (ll. 19-21)

On several occasions, imagery is related to the setting, encouraging readers to place the characters in their environment. Here is one such example: “There was a dirt road, no more than twin tracks with a strip of yellow dandelions between. It led away toward more low hills, through fields of tall grass and flowers of wild mustard.” (ll. 216-219)

Several other examples of imagery can be found in the text if you want to add them to your analysis.

Similes

Various similes help describe the characters and the setting through associations. For example, two similes help describe the setting and suggest the degrading work the characters need to do to make some money: “…the stink seemed to surround him like a bronze-green cloud, wavering upward like the heat-ghosts…” (ll. 12-14)

Several similes describe Jeremy from Raglan’s perspective. These similes help suggest Raglan’s affection for the teenager: “big hands and feet like puppy paws and hair like an ebony dandelion puff.” (ll. 20-21); “the bruise-like marks” (l. 24); “slipper...