In the following, I am going to analyse the stylistic devices in the second chapter from Sherman Alexie’s novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. The chapter deals with the main character’s (/Junior’s) family’s poverty, because of which they sometimes miss a meal and have no money for the healthcare of their dog Oscar, as explained in this chapter.

To begin with, Alexie uses enumerations, such as “He was laying on his bed with red, watery, snotty eyes.” (p. 19, l. 3).

He also uses a lot anaphoras to underline Junior’s situation (p. 17, ll. 8 – 10: “I am really just a poor-ass reservation kid living with his poor-ass family on the poor-ass Spokane Indian Reservation.”).

In addition, the author uses a climax (p. 17, ll. 6 & 7: “But I can’t do that. Nobody can do that, not even the hungriest magician in the world.”). That way, he clarifies how poor and hungry Junior feels.

All in all, the author knows very well how to make Junior’s situation clear to the reader.