Language

Style of writing

The language used by Krzysztof Pelc in the short story “Green Velvet” illustrates the narrator’s desire to fit in and adapt to a new culture. For example, the narrator’s overly-optimistic attitude about the future is revealed when he uses “would” to imagine a world where his problems are solved: 

The books I would read on it would necessarily be different, too (…) I would invite friends home to see the sofa, and sit on it. I would pretend it was a natural reflection of our family’s joie de vivre, rather than a dumpster find offered to us by chance. (p. 1, ll. 35-38)

Here, the narrator’s considerations seem unrealistic, as he expects the green velvet sofa to be a magical solution to all his problems in terms of fitting in. 

The language also mirrors the other characters’ reluctance and doubt, as well as their contrasting attitudes over the green velvet sofa. For example, the narrator’s father constantly...