Language
Indhold
Choice of words
The language used in the short story “Trash” by Souvankham Thammavongsa mirrors the characters’ attitudes toward each other. At first, the narrator describes her mother-in-law as “soft and warm” (l. 84), “happy” (l. 96), and “ambitious” (l. 82) for her. However, when the narrator realizes that Miss Emily is actually disappointed by her, her words change. She describes Miss Emily and her attitude with negative words such as “hoarse and cold” (l. 102), “frazzled” (l. 102), and “disgust” (l. 109). In her turn, Miss Emily offends the narrator, calling her “stupid and dumb” (l. 117), blaming her for turning her son into a slob.
