Language

Style of language

The language used by Salman Rushdie in the short story “The Free Radio” is simple and conversational. 

The conversational style is mainly created by discourse markers, like “so” (p. 17, l. 7), “now then” (p. 20, l. 27), “anyhow” (p. 25, l. 11), and “you know” (p. 18, l. 12), which makes readers feel as if they are part of a conversation with the narrator. Moreover, the author introduces several rhetorical questions which enhance the conversational style of the story: “We felt bad for him, but who listens to the wisdom of the old today? I say: who listens?” (p. 17, ll. 12-13).

Free indirect speech is also used to allow readers to have a glimpse into what the characters are thinking, like in the following example: 

So they all poured into the rickshaw (…) so he was puffing hard, and the veins were standing out on his legs, and I thought, careful, my son, or you will have t...