Language

Style of language

The short story “Neighbours” by Tim Winton uses a formal style of language. The narrator does not use any contractions or informal words and slang throughout the text.

Initially, the narrator uses negative words to describe the way the couple sees the neighbors. The husband is “disgusted” and made to feel “nervous” by the boy who lives next door. Another example is the way the Macedonian family is described as loud, and the narrator says they “shouted, ranted, screamed”. This shows that the couple does not like the new neighbors, who are different from the people living in the expensive suburbs where the couple previously lived. .

The story contains no dialogue. The only time a character’s words are presented, they appear within the narration, for example: “Greek women stopped the young woman in the stre...