Language and writing style

Writing style and level of formality

J.D. Vance’s writing style in the introduction to his book Hillbilly Elegy. A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is characterised by a mix of informal and formal English.

Often his style is informal: “The coolest thing I’ve done, at least on paper, is graduate from Yale Law School…” (ll. 4-5) The word ‘cool’ is rather informal and gives the text a relaxed tone. Similarly, the phrase “a load of bullshit” (l. 23) uses a common slang expression which is not typically used in academic non-fiction books.

Occasionally, the writing style suggests a personal approach: “You see, I grew up poor, in the Rust Belt, in an Ohio steel town that has been haemorrhaging jobs and hope for as long as I can remember” (ll. 12-13). Vance addresses his readers directly and gets them involved with his story using simple, familiar phrases such as ‘You see’, adding to the informal style of writing.

Nevertheless, there are also instances when Vance uses more formal phrases:  “…economists worry about the decline of the industrial Midwest and the hollowing out of the economic core of working whites. What they mean is…” (ll. 79-80). Vance reproduces the language of academics, but he continues by explaining their ideas, which suggests that he wants to convey clear ideas that are easily understood by everyone.

Sometimes, Vance also creates emphasis by using words in italics: “More troublingly, when it was all over, he thought something had been done to him.” (ll. 89-90)

At one point, he also uses what seems to be an imaginary quotation:

‘Of course the prospects for working-class whites have worsened, J.D., but you’re putting the chicken before the egg. They’re divorcing more, marrying less, and experiencing less happiness because their economic opportunities have declined. If they only had better access to jobs, other parts of their lives would improve as well.’ (ll. 55-58)

The quotation is meant to mirror how others think or might think and his conversations one the topic. The effect is that it gives readers more views on the topic, making the text more complex when it comes to exploring issue related to poverty.

Choice of words and sentence structure

The choice of words reveals that J.D. Vance uses only a few words that have a positive meaning such as: “coolest thing” (ll. 4-5), “loving people” (l. 24) “a nice job, a happy marriage, a comfortable home, and two lively dogs” (l. 9). This is because the writer explores a challenging issue in the US – the struggles of the white working class and their failure to achieve the American Dream. 

Consequently, negative words are more frequent: “grim future” (l. 16), “spiritual and material poverty” ...