A Handful of Words

"At that moment, you will be lying there (I rarely find people standing up). You will be caked in your own body. There might be a discovery; a scream will dribble down the air. The only sound I'll hear after that will be my own breathing, and the sound of the smell, of my footsteps." -Markus Zusak

This is an excerpt from "The Book Thief", another favorite. Throughout the book Zusak makes every possible event or item an image. He gives a verb to every concept, personified or not, and the effect infuses life into his words. This book is as much a sensory experience as anything, and I think that's the way all art should be, especially literature. His narrator discusses words as though everyone of them is a living breathing organism. It's as if only the utmost care will suffice in handling them because with the right encouragement and in the proper order, words can change the world. And his style continually reinforces that argument throughout the text. 

Here, the author achieves his effect mainly through diction and punctuation. Punctuation gives the narrator his voice, and he wields it with just as much care and precision as the words. He puts commas in where they are not strictly needed, but they allow Death a lilting quality to his voice. Death deliberately describes the scene of a death. "...and the sound of the smell, of my footsteps." He's quiet and pensive. An entire character stems from that voice. And the diction gives his description life. "a scream will dribble down the air." We probably never thought of it in those terms, but isn't that exactly what a scream does? I also love the word "caked" in the second sentence. It's perfect.

Imitation: And I stand there, stuffed in felt and fleece and knitted itchy things hoping the train will come soon. A chill claws its way down my spine, chortling as it bends and breaks my posture. I shudder.