Formal Tone

Although Keller occasionally lapses into emotional passages, her writing style is generally formal. It is reminiscent of the lofty language of Greek writers and also of the similes and tones of biblical text. Toward the end of chapter two, for example, she writes, "Thus it is when we walk in the valley of twofold solitude we know little of the tender affections that grow out of endearing words and actions and companionship." At times, she makes direct allusions to biblical stories, as in chapter three: "Thus I came out of Egypt and stood before Sinai, and a power divine touched my spirit and gave it sight, so that I beheld many wonders." Recalling what it was like when she first learned to speak, Keller comments, "My soul, conscious of new strength, came out of bondage, and was reaching through those broken symbols of speech to all knowledge...