Brent has a Ph.D. in American culture, specializing in film studies, from the University of Michigan. She is a freelance writer and teaches courses in the history of American cinema. In the following essay, Brent discusses figurative and descriptive language in Tolstaya's short story.

Tolstaya's "Night" records the internal subjective impressions of a mentally retarded adult, Alexei Petrovich, over the course of one particular day. These impressions are expressed through vivid language describing the smells, tastes, sounds, and physical sensations that texture Alexei's day. Tolstaya also uses figurative language in describing through simile and metaphor Alexei's experience of the world around him.

Central to Alexei's perceptions throughout the day are a variety of sounds emanating from his Mamochka, the neighbors in his apartment building, the outdoors, and his own body. The story begins, "In the mornings Alexei Petrovich's mama yawns loud and long." The loudness of...