And bonus, each character adds their own flair, telling us a little bit about that specific character. In this very Southern novel, there are some very Southern ways of communicating: basically, we get a strong sense of local color and atmosphere through the speech of these characters. And Doctor Copeland's chapters use the most elaborate diction, or word choice, which reflects his own extensive education. Jake's chapters tend to jump around erratically and abruptly shift to new topics. Meanwhile, Biff's chapters sounds like Biff, filled with rhetorical questions and short sentences. Mick's chapters sound like Mick – we get frequent repetition of 'plans' and 'music,' slightly rambling thoughts and a lot of slang. That's a pretty different kid talking, don't you think?Īnd one last thing: the style of each chapter reflects its main character. Everybody said Miss Minner had sold her brains to a famous doctor for ten thousand dollars, so that after she was dead he could cut them up and see why she was so smart. Check out this passage from earlier in the novel, which shows just how much Mick has grown and changed: The repetition of the word 'suppose' shows how Mick's thoughts can run away from her – it's a cross between the overactive imagination of a child and the totally stressed-out panic of a grown-up.Īnd how about this: we'd argue that the novel's style evolves along with the characters. Mick's life is pretty much summed up in her thoughts here: music, money, George, and worry. Within one paragraph we're completely immersed in the inner world of Mick Kelly, and her rambling, almost panicky thoughts clue us in to her anxious state of mind. Suppose she hid the piano under the house. So then they would come to take it away like the little red bicycle? And suppose she wouldn't let them. But then suppose some week she couldn't make a payment. And she wouldn't let anybody touch this private piano but her – only she might teach George little pieces. And maybe one of these days she might be able to set aside a little for a secondhand piano.

Mick pushed her broken front tooth with her thumb. To see how this works in terms of style, let's check out Mick: We get all the gritty details: bodies, thoughts, feelings, senses, people, places – everything is knit together to give us a full sense of each character. This novel thrives on vivid descriptions of entire character worlds.

Revealing and Dialect-Filled It's All in the Details

The heart is a lonely hunter author