Comment on writing style.

For the most part, the language of the narrative is evocative of its central character: straightforward, uncomplicated and unpretentious. However, there are a few rare moments in which what might best be described as a higher level of vocabulary emerges.

Meanwhile, there are two specific points to note about the book’s use of language. The first is its inclusion of period-appropriate references – specifically, to the use of the terms “Chinaman” and “squaw.” While contemporary thought, writing, and socio-cultural appropriateness would reject the use of such terms in the writing of today, such terms were in use at the time that the narrative is describing. Because the terms are arguably period appropriate, it can be argued that their presence in the novella adds texture and veracity to the portrait of the characters and the lives they lived.