Analysis Of Don 'T Let's Go To The Dogs' By Alexandra Fuller

When placed under difficult circumstances, sometimes a person must do everything in his or her power in order to achieve the things which they desire. In an excerpt from Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight Alexandra Fuller uses various literary devices and methods of characterization to demonstrate the means by which people obtain that which they desire while still leaving room for interpretation to make the work more engaging. Through these techniques, she is effective at exploring the distinct reactions people experience to both failure and success. To begin, the diction that Fuller employs reveals background information that is central to the development of the plot. For example, she gives the reader several clues as to the physical setting

On their mother’s command, the narrator explains her strategy at appearing hungry: “I suck in my belly as far as possible and open my eyes as wide as they will go, so that they will seem hollow and needy. Vanessa sinks her head to her chest and shrinks with not-wanting-to-be-here” (6-8). Through the use of this description, Fuller is conveying that her characters are well-practiced in the art of making themselves appear hungry and in need because they know exactly what they must do to achieve the illusion they are aiming for without hesitation. Also, by describing the sister’s look as “not-wanting-to-be-here” (8) she is suggesting that the characters feel somewhat ashamed of their seemingly dishonest intentions to appear more deserving of the buyer’s money than the other farmers. Fuller further supplements this notion when the narrator says, “None of us look at the other farmers and their families, who are also hovering with palpably jittering nerves over their bales” (13-14). An inability to make eye contact is frequently associated with guilt. This use of indirect characterization is successful at developing more dynamic personalities for the characters and allows the readers to make inferences concerning their intentions and

First, Fuller decides to present the complications that would arise for the family when the narrator describes the outcome in the case that “Dad disagrees with the price the buyer has offered, [and] he tears the ticket” (24). She illustrates the situation with a very negative connotation by describing the way it will affect the parents. For example, Fuller uses strong imagery to explain how the mother will react to such a situation. “Mum will spend hours, until her fingers burn with the sticky yellowing residue of the leaves, resorting and rebaling…” (28-30). By using imagery, Fuller creates an unappealing scenario that places greater importance upon the occurrence of the opposite situation because the reader can sympathize with the characters. She immediately counters this with the wonderful results of success. The narrator shares her “exuberant, silly, [and] loud” reactions to a fair price for the tobacco and how her parents are able to shake off “the tarnish of shame” (39). By strategically presenting the readers both possible outcomes, Fuller influences the reader to root for the characters’