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Harlem Shuffle Essay

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Independent Book Project In Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, his style is shown to be descriptively creative and vivid. Whitehead’s writing is extremely descriptive, allowing the reader to visualize the setting of his novels. In the quote: “On the best days it was bumper-to-bumper, a bitter argument of honks and curses, and on rainy days the potholes were treacherous lagoons, one grim slosh.” (Whitehead 3). Whitehead uses metaphors to describe the settings of his novels, he describes how the traffic was an argument of honks and curses to help the reader understand the tone of the setting. In the next quote: “The atmosphere was different, murky yet reverential.” (Whitehead 11), Colson uses controversy to create a thought of how the inside …show more content…

The review on Goodreads.com outlines Whitehead’s creative and descriptive writing style, mentioning how he sets the atmosphere in a story’s setting. The review discusses how he introduces several different types of characters and settings without clearly describing them, allowing for the reader to paint the story themselves. The second book review I found on Harlem Shuffle was from Harvard Review, which summarized the book as ‘epic and captivating’. The Harvard Review claims Colson’s writings as vivid and a classic archetype of the striver. The review compares Ray Carney, the main character, to the Striker archetype. Carney is a person who wants to meet his goals and support his family throughout the novel, but he challenges his morals with trials he faces. When reading Harlem Shuffle, I interpreted Whitehead’s writing as thrilling, yet heartwarming. Colson Whitehead's writing style influences how you as the reader understands the story. Several of the events within the plot are described with irrelevant details that contribute to the story as a whole. I would rate Harlem Shuffle a four out of five because the plot was thrilling and emotional, but it would not hook the average high school student into reading the whole story. Colson Whitehead’s novels are interesting, but always hide a deeper moral perceived by those who

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