Aside from its cultural influences, An Ex-Mas Feast is a unique story due to
Uwen Akpan’s extensive use of dialogue between his characters. A large
percentage of the story’s text is through the words of various characters,
creating a strong image of each character, both on the surface and in the inner
self. In Mama’s quote: “Eh,
now that she shakes-shakes her body to moneymen she thinks she has passed me?
Tell me, why did she refuse to stay with Baby?” I was easily
able to visualize the image of thick-skinned Mama, who calls it like she sees
it. She is the head of the house, and Akpan enhances this idea magnificently
through this single quote.
Akpan’s dialogue also aptly captures the dialect of the characters.
This is a successful convention for every time the dialect is prominent, the
reader is reminded of the setting of which the story takes place. As I tread
through the words on the screen, the story is alive and palpable. It feels as
if I am speaking the dialect, myself, for the dialect from the page processes
through my mind. Though the reading process is a bit more tedious, I do enjoy
this characteristic being added to the Akpan’s story.
In addition to the wonderful use of dialogue, Akpan brilliantly
describes every single detail within his story. He writes:
“We laughed
at the gangs of street kids massed together in sound sleep. Some gangs slept in
graded symmetry. Others slept in freestyle. Some had a huge waterproof above
their piles to protect them from the elements. Others had nothing. We laughed
at a group of city taxi-drivers huddled together, warming themselves with cups
of chai and fiery political banter while waiting for the Akamba buses to arrive
with passengers from Tanzania and Uganda.”
Here Akpan utilizes the convention of showing his story to the reader.
As I continue through this story, I can feel the severity of this family’s
circumstances. Throughout his story, Akpan comments directly on the impacts of
money (or lack thereof). Here, the reader sees the direct consequence of
financial instability through the homeless gangs and their makeshift beds. Akpan’s
writing is rich and heavy and he does not spare the reader a detail.
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