We Were The Mulvaneys Rhetorical Analysis Essay

In the novel We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates begins to characterize Judd Mulvaney by using literary techniques. The novel is written as a flashback or memory therefore creating the impression that this moment was significant to Judd Mulvaney. This passage takes place near a brook that Judd always went to on his families’ farm. By providing specific details about the brook and how Judd felt at the brook the reader can begin to understand Judd’s thoughts and how the setting and his thoughts begin to formulate the plot of the passage. Judd’s epiphany about death is significant in this novel as it creates internal conflict because he also faces telling his family they are going to die or letting them believe they will live forever. In

The selection of detail chosen by Oate throughout the entire passage allows the reader to begin visualizing the events that Judd speaks on. The specific details about Judd hypnotizing himself open a door to his inner thoughts as he is compelled by the movement of the water. “The brook was flowing below left to right and I stood immobile leaning on the railing until it began to happen as it always does the water gets slower and slower and you’re the one who begins to move” establishes a visual that he could be day dreaming while looking into the brook which further leads him to begin thinking about death - “ONEtwothree ONEtwothree! Thinking Every heartbeat is past and gone! Every heartbeat is past and gone! A chill came over me, I began to shiver.” The reader can conclude from Judd’s choice of words and direct description of his thoughts, that he is beginning to realize that death is

The pacing, repetition, word order, and punctuation all are important in which they emphasize that Judd is a child, “-oh boy! We-ird!”. Keeping in mind that he is around 11 or 12 years of age, the realization of death for him is very significant. In addition to pacing, repetition, etc., Oates uses short sentences to make a clear statement about Judd’s thoughts without dragging out the topic – “That time in our lower driveway, by the brook. I was straddling my bike staring down into the water. Fast-flowing clear water, shallow, shale beneath, and lots of leaves.” Using these short sentence can also create suspense for the reader as Oates becomes more dramatic with her details of Judd’s thoughts. Furthermore, Oates use of parentheses indicate that Judd is struggling to accept the concept of death as well as his perspective on the entire epiphany he has had. Using the parentheses also gives the reader a glimpse of Judd’s side thoughts – “Only the evergreens and some of the black birches remaining but it’s a fact when dry yellow leaves (like on birches) don’t fall from a tree the tree is partly dead.” As the passage goes on Judd’s side thoughts indicated by the parentheses begin to become more mature which the reader can then infer that Judd has begun to understand that every living thing must die – “… because I did not believe that Judd Mulvaney could die. Though on a farm