Language

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Descriptive language

The author often uses descriptive language which appeals to the human senses to add depth to the story, which is very typical of fiction. Descriptive language connected with the setting is important, as it often reflects Laura’s thoughts and feelings.

At the beginning of the story, descriptive language in connection to sight is used to create the setting – a town on the search of a kidnapped girl, Julie-Anne Marks – but also to convey Laura’s interest in Julie-Anne:

Everywhere we look Julie-Anne Marks is looking back at us. (…) Julie-Anne Marks is stuffed into our letterboxes, pinned to every bulletin board, taped to every telephone pole. She takes up the whole f…

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Antithesis

The author uses antithesis  (putting two opposite concepts together for a contrasting effect) to highlight several ideas.  

Firstly, we notice the different ways in which Julie-Anne and Kimberly are portrayed. Julie-Anne is a beautiful young woman in an apparently happy relationship (l. 47), praised as a student and employee, and her family seems caring and deeply affected by her disappearance (ll. 20-22). This gives Laura and Megan the impression that Julie-Anne is to be envied – as her beaut…

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Symbols

The author uses several symbolic elements which convey the deeper meaning of the events and help readers to better understand the characters.

Julie-Anne Marks and Kimberly Watson are symbolic characters in the story. Broadly speaking, they are symbolic of the women subjected to violence in our society, and of the different ways in which victims can be perceived and treated. From Laura and Megan’s point of view, Julie-Anne Marks is symbolic of beauty and goodness, which seems to lead them to believe that she is worthy of attention and love. Kimberly Watson, on the other hand, is a symbol of women who are perceived to have loose morals, and are blamed for attracting the violence they are subjected to: “ ‘She deserves whatever she gets,’ Megan says.” (l. 102)

Laura’s mother and Mr Henderson – Megan’s father – also have symbolic traits. They know very little about Kimberly, but quickly judge and label her, suggesting that being kidnapped w…

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