Presentation of Dick's parents and home
How is the presentation of Dick’s parents and home explored in this extract?
We are first presented with the country side surrounding Dick’s parent’s home through the use of a pre-modified noun phrase, ‘raw country roads’. This suggests to the reader that Dick’s parents live in a very primitive and rural area. We are then presented with a farmer’s wife through the use of exclamatory sentences, ‘Dick Hickock! Don’t talk to me about Dick Hickock!’. This suggests to the reader that she is very angry with Dick. It could also suggest that she could know why Nye has come to question Dick’s parents. This is further reinforced by the use of a minor rhetorical interrogative, ‘Steal?’. This further reinforces that she knows the reason why Nye is there. The farmer’s wife then goes on to describe Dick Hickock’s mum, ‘Heart big as a barn’. The use of the simile reinforces the place in which they live in as it reflects farming and gives a wholesome feel. In the second paragraph Nye has eventually found the Hickock’s house, the house is described as ‘weather-greyed’. The use of the compound adjective gives the reader the impression that the house is very worn out and run down. This is contrasted to the Clutter’s house where their house is very cared for. We are then introduced to Dick’s parents, ‘Mr Hickock invited the detective into the kitchen, and Mrs Hickock offered him coffee.’ The use of parallelism here suggests that Dick’s parents are nice people who are very friendly. It also creates the idea that they are very welcoming and polite unlike Dick. This is further reinforced by the use of juxtaposition, ‘less gracious, more guarded’. This also suggests to the reader that Dick’s parents are very trusting people. We then see that Nye has begun to question the Hickock’s about Dick. Mrs Hickock’s replies are very simple and reflect the honest person that she is, this is shown by the use of simple declaratives, ‘No, sir, I wouldn’t have him in the house’. This is
We are first presented with the country side surrounding Dick’s parent’s home through the use of a pre-modified noun phrase, ‘raw country roads’. This suggests to the reader that Dick’s parents live in a very primitive and rural area. We are then presented with a farmer’s wife through the use of exclamatory sentences, ‘Dick Hickock! Don’t talk to me about Dick Hickock!’. This suggests to the reader that she is very angry with Dick. It could also suggest that she could know why Nye has come to question Dick’s parents. This is further reinforced by the use of a minor rhetorical interrogative, ‘Steal?’. This further reinforces that she knows the reason why Nye is there. The farmer’s wife then goes on to describe Dick Hickock’s mum, ‘Heart big as a barn’. The use of the simile reinforces the place in which they live in as it reflects farming and gives a wholesome feel. In the second paragraph Nye has eventually found the Hickock’s house, the house is described as ‘weather-greyed’. The use of the compound adjective gives the reader the impression that the house is very worn out and run down. This is contrasted to the Clutter’s house where their house is very cared for. We are then introduced to Dick’s parents, ‘Mr Hickock invited the detective into the kitchen, and Mrs Hickock offered him coffee.’ The use of parallelism here suggests that Dick’s parents are nice people who are very friendly. It also creates the idea that they are very welcoming and polite unlike Dick. This is further reinforced by the use of juxtaposition, ‘less gracious, more guarded’. This also suggests to the reader that Dick’s parents are very trusting people. We then see that Nye has begun to question the Hickock’s about Dick. Mrs Hickock’s replies are very simple and reflect the honest person that she is, this is shown by the use of simple declaratives, ‘No, sir, I wouldn’t have him in the house’. This is