Essay On Dialog In Ann Patchett's Truth And Beauty '

The dialog in Ann Patchett’s Truth and Beauty does exactly what good dialog should: it creates texture and it gives the reader a lot of wiggle room in which to interpret the book’s subject, Lucy Grealy. Although there is a valid fear of creating distrust in the reader by using large amounts dialog in a non-fiction book, Patchett embraces even direct, though presumably representative, dialog and in doing so, she creates a memoir which maintains the Patchett voice that readers recognize. By skillfully blending direct and summarized dialog, Patchett manages creates a fine balance between scene and summary. Direct dialog coveys the most intimate and important moments between Lucy and Ann. It focalizes the reader’s attention on the elements specific to Lucy. It’s a gouging emotional hook. While summarized and dialog provides broader portrait of Lucy’s occasionally manic behavior. It showcases the more universal elements of Lucy. Working in tandem, summarized and direct dialog give the reader a …show more content…
More than likely she is relying on representative dialog in the numerous direct dialog passages, meaning that she may be making up some words, but she isn’t making up the meaning of what was said, and there is a grand-canyon sized divide between the two. For example, when Lucy, Karl, and Ann are joking around about having a fundraiser for Lucy’s teeth, it’s possible that the prepositions may have been different, the monetary figures lower or higher, but those factors don’t alter the meaning of the conversation. The illumination of an unsolvable problem remains the same. Lucy can’t get her teeth, and no amount of money will erase that fact. Simply telling readers the same thing in narrative format would minimize the impact. Summery dialog wouldn’t have the same effect either, but it does help to focalize the