Language

Style of language

The short story “Sunday in the Park” by Bel Kaufman is written in a formal style. The narration does not use slang or contractions; for instance: “He did not look up from his comics, but spat one deftly out of the corner of his mouth.” (p. 1, ll. 45-46) 

As the story is told from the woman’s perspective, the language used in the narrative reflects her inner voice. From the style of language, she seems to be an intellectual, as the sentence structure is complex, and the vocabulary is advanced. For instance: “She was suffused with a tenderness for her husband and an impotent rage against the man for involving him in a situation so alien and so distasteful to him.” (p. 1, ll. 90-93) 

The social status of the characters is highlighted by the way they express themselves in dialogue. For instance, the man on the bench uses slang and swear words and simple sentence structure: “ ‘My kid’s got just as good right here as yours, and if he feels like throwing sand, he’ll throw it, and if you don’t like...