Language

Style of writing in lines 115-135

The style of writing in lines 115-135 of the short story "Tin Man" by Jennifer Kerslake contain many informal elements, such as simple words, short sentences, contractions and interjections. We see especially good examples of the simple, short sentences in the brief dialogue between the characters:

"Is it a bit big?"

"No, it fits." (l. 124-125)

Here, the simple language shows that the narrator and her father are not used to communicate much through words, but even so this scene still forges an emotional connection between them because the father's gesture in making the costume is a clear sign of both love and parental responsibility.

There are also examples of more complex language in these paragraphs, however. We especially see this in the first paragraph, where the narrator reflects on her mother's death. 

I sit in the bath and lather the shampoo, the softness of her fingertips dancing along my scalp. I remember holding her hand at the end, the rain hammering against the roof, as if she’d chosen then, the end of summer, to leave. (ll. 11...