Language

Style of language

The short story “DHSS” by Doris Lessing is written in a neutral style. There are no contractions or colloquialisms in the narrative, but the style is casual, using common words. 

Since the story is largely focused on the interaction between the characters, there is a lot of dialogue, occasionally punctuated by the narrator’s interpretation of the characters’ reactions and body language. The characters express themselves using informal language, with contractions, and colloquialisms such as “kids” (p. 64, l. 22; 23), “a fair old guess” (p. 64, l. 19), or “got herself in a muddle” (p. 66, l. 36). The woman uses several swear words, such as: “that rich cow” (p. 66, l. 42), “the shitting DHSS” (p. 66, l. 7), and “you don’t know a bloody thing” (p. 64, l. 21). These words point to her anger and frustration at the situation she finds herself in.

There is also the repetition of the line “I’ll kill them” (p. 63, l. 6), in several variations: “I’ll kill her” (p. 63, ll. 5-6), “I’d like to kill them” (p. 64, l. 36), “I could kill them” (p. 64, l. 42). The repetition conveys the woman’s helpless...