Analysis

This analysis of Sara Collins’ short story “Say You” will give you an overview of the most important language and narrative elements.

In the next few pages, we will look at the story’s structure. “Say You” uses a traditional plot structure. The plot is focused on the social setting rather than on the characters. Important narrative techniques used by the author are foreshadowing and backstory.

We will focus on the most important individual characters in the story, Jewel and Abel, focusing on their inner and outer characteristics.

We will explore the setting of the story, first considering the physical setting of the island with the immigrants’ camp. We will also look at what the collective characters of the local girls and the Cuban men reveal about the social setting.

We will present the first-person plural narrator, which is made up by the collective voices of the local girls. 

Finally, we will examine the language used by Sara Collins, taking into account choice of words and use of devices like similes, metaphors, repetition, and symbols.

Read the entire analysis of the story in what follows!