Language

The language of “Lightbox” by Emma Cleary is descriptive but easy to follow as the author uses short sentences in the present tense. The choice of words is related to city life, modern technologies, and human interactions (relationships).

Dialogue is missing from the text which only includes a few direct quotations. The lack of dialogue is important for the story’s structure, as it functions as a hint at the story’s real plot—that the narrator is stalking Elsie.

Most of the story is conveyed in the narrative mode, describing Elsie’s actions from the narrator’s perspective. Occasionally, the narrator seems to address readers directly, a technique that helps create a connection between them:

…I think to myself, Elsie, keep something back for just us, you know? I notice the time and realise she’s changing for yoga class. I’m not really in the mood to go today. When I go I feel kind of self-conscious, if you want the truth... (ll. 22-24)

As the text is very descriptive, you can identify multiple instances of imagery, passages that help form a mental image of the action, the setting, and the characters, such as in the opening lines:

Elsie wears her picnic dress today, a black and white check. She stares at a crossword puzzle and sips her purple smoothie through a plastic straw. She is sitting at a small table in the grocery store cafe, in front of a huge display of pumpkins. (ll. ...