Writing Techniques

In the short story "Emergency" by Denis Johnson, I greatly enjoyed the tone. It helped the story flow and made the context easier to read and relate to. The tone of the story also blends well with the dialogue of the characters. Johnson's use of a sarcastic, humorous, and casual tone allowed for the reader to find the characters to be more relatable and create a setting that was interesting to imagine. The dialogue between the characters was also attention-grabbing because the content was unusual, weird and fun. Georgie, the orderly at the hospital, would talk about random or unusual things and because the two main characters were also pill-poppers, their conversations were still interesting. Tone is an important element in a short story or any piece of work because it helps to set up the mood for the reader to better understand how to interpret the setting and actions that are taking place. In regards to dialogue, Johnson did a wonderful job adding a significant amount of dialogue so that the story was continuously moving in a sense. The dialogue made the story more lively and it helps to ground the reader in what is happening in the story. Although the dialogue was a large portion of the story, the descriptions in between the dialogue were very thorough. "I saw bits of snow resembling an abundance of blossoms on the stems of the drive-in speakers - no, revealing the blossoms that were always there. A bull elk stood still in the pasture beyond the fence giving off an air of authority and stupidity" (Johnson 283). The metaphors and comparisons that Johnson uses to describe surroundings is interesting and keeps the wording and tone fun.