Language

Most of the plot of “Lost Boys” by Deborah Moggach is conveyed in the narrative/discursive mode, but the author also includes a few dialogue lines and direct quotations which help her illustrate the interactions between the characters and the characters’ traits and attitudes.

Occasionally, the author gives humorous or ironic accounts of characters and events: “He’d been bemused by her, besotted with her, and finally he died—I say from unrequited love but Ewan says from pancreatitis.” (p. 33, ll. 11-13)

Humour is also created through contrasts between the characters’ opinions of Lily: “I called her romantic. He called her untrustworthy.” (p. 34, l. 18)

Imagery is constructed in connection to the setting or Lily’s character, whose portrait is conveyed several times:“When I first met Lily she was still lovely—old and bony, but with those large vague eyes: a face with a Past.” (p. 34, ll. 40-41); “…a tall, striding figure, despite her age. She wore a straw hat and a faded orange dress. She looked so young from the back that it was a shock when she turned to wave.” (p. 37, ll. 4-7)

These descriptive passages help readers form mental pictures of what the author is presenting.

Language devices like similes, metaphors, repetition, rhetorical questions, and symbols enhance the story’s narrative qualities and are designed to make readers grasp the deeper meanings behind what is being narrated.

Similes

The author uses multiple comparisons between the characters, which are meant to show similarity or admiration. For instance, the narrator wants to be like Lily, free and independent, or she compares Alex with his father to show that the two have similar traits. However, on a couple of instances, the author uses more complex literary similes.

The author compares water with soup and swimming with being in a painting,...

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Metaphors and figurative language

Metaphors and figurative language help the author convey more aspects about the characters. The fact that Lily has “a face with a Past” (p. 34, l. 41) suggests that the woman has fully lived her life and her face shows it.

The metaphor “she felt the wings of mortality brushing her face” (p. 35, l. 27) compares death with a bird whose wings are the woman’s wrinkles. The metaphor suggests Lily feels that she is getting old and regrets it.

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Symbols

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