In the short story After ‘ While by Cherie Dimaline, diction and imagery are often used to develop the theme of coming of age, and dysfunctional family dynamics in this text. The theme of dysfunctional family dynamics is portrayed in the text by the writer using diction and imagery. In the first paragraph of the text, the tooth fairy's decision to give Lucky a bowling trophy rather than the customary reward raises the question of whether Lucky's life is truly average. A lack of stability and continuity in Lucky's existence is also implied by the ziplock bag of pennies and the handwritten note from the tooth fairy. Firstly, the assumption that Arnya's familial dynamics are problematic is reinforced by her remark, "Screw 'em all and let Jesus sort it out," and her disposition to put off vital messages until …show more content…
The use of the word “screw” also implies a sense of anger or resentment towards her family members, which could reflect the dysfunctional relationship between them. Arnya's actions are shown as chaotic by the imagery employed to represent her magician skills, which also accentuates Lucky's lack of stability. A second quote where diction was used to help create the theme in the text is a broken quote mentioned just after the previous one. "Lucky could feel panic and relief in the same sentence...she was a natural born magician in life, and Lucky understood that magic takes time." Given Lucky's unstable family circumstances, Arnya's talents are metaphorically referred to as "magic," which implies that they are unpredictable and potentially harmful rather than reasonable or reliable. The idea of instability and disorder within the family is further highlighted by the imagery of Lucky collecting words and the mention of dysfunctional family dynamics, including Arnya's string of partners and Lucky's reliance on her grandma. The term "transient" is used to characterise periodicals in order to emphasise the transient character of Lucky's surroundings as well