Language

Style of writing

The narration is mixed with dialogue, but there is no structural separation of the two (no quotation marks, for example): “Well, he said, I don’t think they had anything to do with it” (ll. 8-9). The lack of distinction between the dialogue and the narration helps emphasise the sense that readers are looking at the events through the main character’s eyes.

The story’s language is very simple, but several adjectives and adverbs help convey the father’s physical: “the skin (…) was soft and pure” (l. 4); “his hair was long” (l. 13); “breathing heavily” (l. 15). These words help suggest the debilitating effects that the cancer has on the father, turning his body frail.

Similes and metaphors

Similes and metaphors help the author with characterisation and with creating the dramatic atmosphere of the story. 

A simile is used to convey the father’s physical weakness: “the skin on his legs was soft and pure like fine paper” (l. 4). However, the simile evokes a pleasant image, which comes in contrast with his illness. As the story suggests that the woman is the one who makes this comparison, t...