The Man To Send Rain Clouds Literary Devices

From the times humans are able to first articulate our thoughts, we already realize so much about the world. We may not understand it but we do realize that things come and go and some things remain absolute. This idea of change and continuity is something almost all people have experienced in their lives. While almost all have experienced, many choose to keep it private while others use it to teach lessons and tell stories. One of these people is Leslie Marmon Silko. In her short story " The Man to Send Rain Clouds" she uses setting, characterization, and plot to carry along the theme of change and continuity.
From the very start of the story, Silko begins with strong characterization. Change has already occurred for the family in the book with the death of their grandfather. What doesn’t change though even in his death is the continuity of Leon, Ken and the rest of their family’s beliefs. …show more content…
Using amazing adjectives and descriptions, Silko paints the image of a dry, little town in New Mexico that has people hopeful for the rain they need. Instead of using the setting to present change, Silko used it to display continuity. The points in time which the reader didn’t get to read are hints and clues into how long Leon, Ken and their family have needed rain. Even using real life geography, the reader can make connections between New Mexico and how little rain they get. Through the hints that Silko gives, the reader can assume that it has been awhile since the area had gotten rain and that is why they were hoping for it so badly. The ending gives something to keep the reader guessing though even though the setting didn’t change as the story was happening. To different readers, one can interpret the ending differently. One can believe that the continuity will change and it will rain or one can believe that just because they hoped doesn’t mean the dryness disappeared with that