Language

Style of language in lines 1-12

The style of writing in lines 1-12 of the short story “Sea Defences” by Hilary Taylor is informal, showing Michael’s childish way of looking at the world. For example, although an adult, Michael still calls his mother “Mumma” (l. 5), which shows his affection for her, but also his naïve behavior caused by his mental illness. Furthermore, Michael has a childish way of calling the sea defences “seedy fences”: “those big concrete blocks they call seedy fences” (l. 9). This suggests that Michael has the mental development of a child. The alternative spelling of the phrase sea defences shows that the story is told from Michael’s point of view and indicates that he does not understand what the sea defences are or why they are there. The choice of words is, then, closely connected to Michael’s mental issues and with how he relates to the world around him. 

The narrative also contains contractions which give the illusion of spoken language, such as “couldn’t” (l. 4) and ...