Language
The language employed in the short story “Your Shoes” by Michèle Roberts is Basic British English, and it is easy to understand by an average reader. However, most of the narrative is filled with symbols, yet it is quite easy for us to read between the lines and discover the hidden meanings behind some words or expressions.
As the story takes the form of a letter/monologue, the author did not employ dialogue. The story is not supposed to be dynamic and filled with action, but to mirror the narrator’s stream of consciousness and the way she relates to her daughter running away from home. This implies flashback and returning to the past, which makes readers better understand the way in which the characters are built.
There are several linguistic and stylistic devices which the author uses in the story with the purpose of making the text more symbolic and attractive. In what follows, we will present the most important ones:
- Imagery
- Similes
- Metaphors
- Symbols
Imagery
Imagery is mostly employed in descriptive passages and has the role of making the readers visualise the setting, the atmosphere or the looks of the characters. The following example contains visual imagery, as well as sensory imagery related to sound:
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Symbols
The short story “Your Shoes” is filled with symbols which enhance its meaning and reveal many elements about the characters.
“Miss La-di-Da” is the way the narrator’s mother calls her when she learns about nutritional science. This form of address is symbolic of the way in which the narrator’s mother sees her daughter as pretentious, as “la-di-da” is used to express disrespect for someone affected.
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