Language

Style of language

The language of the short story “Frida Boyelski’s Shiva” by Abigail Ulman is generally easy to follow and understand. The author uses contractions both in the dialogue and the narration. This helps the narrator convey the main character’s voice and keep a generally informal tone throughout the story: “ ‘It’s not something I’m doing. It’s something I am.’ ” (l. 17); “ ‘Frida hadn’t immigrated to Australia and learnt English at the age of twenty-six so she could read a book like that.’ ” (ll. 34-35).

We also encounter the French phrase après tout ce temps (after all that time), associated with Johanna, Frida’s workplace colleague. This is used to suggest that Johanna’s relationship with her husband is still romantic.

Imagery, personification, and hyperbole

At the beginning of the story, imagery is used to establish the setting and foreshadow Ruthie leaving: “Ruthie was standing next to the kitchen door, a backpack strap slung over her shoulder.” (ll. 7-8). Since the narrator is conveying Frida’s perspective, this description could also be interpreted to suggest that Frida still perceives Ruthie as a girl, and thus, she uses female pronouns to describe her.

Note that the narrator continues to use female pronouns and the name “Ruthie” throughout the story, until the seventh day, when Rafael appears (l. 162). This also creates subtle imagery as it suggests that Frida has a certain image of her child – which she finds difficult to let go. At the same time, this also conveys the fact that she does not know what to expect, as she has not seen Rafael before.

Imagery is also created by Frida’s phone call to the nursing home where she works (ll. 39-40) and the Jewish Observer (41-43). Frida’s ad appears in the newspaper which “landed on doorsteps all over Frida’s neighbourhood” (ll. 44-45) – this image suggests that Frida lives in a Jewish community, but also helps with her characterisation, as it shows she is open to her neighbours knowing about the situation in her family.

Frida’s memories about her father’s shiva and the rituals she does also create imagery and suggest that she wants to respect tradition (ll. 48-53). In the same manner, imagery is created by her memories about Ruthie and her teddy-bear tea parties (ll. 55-57) that help convey her nostalgia for Ruthie’s childhood. At the same time, it suggests that Frida feels that she is truly in mourning –she begins to remember details from Ruthie’s life, similarly to how someone who suffered a loss does when a loved one dies.

Other details about Ruthie’s life help create imagery and contribute to Ruthie’s characterisation, as it shows that she rejected stereotypically feminine things even as a child (ll. 61-66). This also suggests that Frida might begin to develop a different understanding of Ruthie’s past behaviour. Here, we also encounter personification: “Ruthie’s old bike with its pale pink frame and the hot pink streamers sprouting from the handlebars.” (ll. 59-60). The ind...