What is the language used in the short story ''A Dark Brown Dog''?

A
Dark Brown Dog by Stephen Crane is an allegorical tale of a small child who befriends and adopts
the titular dog. The story, which was published in 1901, is written in a richly descriptive
style and employs emotive language. This means that Crane uses the power of language to lend an
almost audio-visual aspect to his words and create a strong emotional response in the
reader.

At the beginning of the story sunshine beat upon the cobbles and
the breeze raised yellow dust. The trucks passing on the street are clattering. Using strong
verbs and adjectives, the author helps us visualize the scene so that we feel we are almost
there. Furthermore, by describing the dog from the outset in human terms, Crane invites us to
see it as more than just a dog (and in fact the animal in the story is a symbol of the newly
emancipated black slaves). The dog is shown to regard the boy, to hesitate, to have an
apologetic manner and can feel despair and even offer a small prayer. All of these words are
utilized in a way which is intended to make the reader forget he is reading
about a dog and insert additional meaning into what is on the page, thus making the point of the
story all the more poignant.

Throughout the story the dog continues to behave
like a human being, eloquently expressing regret, becoming agitated with shame and yelling
in supreme astonishment. Additionally, in the last scene the child burst into a long,
dirgelike cry and toddled in search of his friend. The humanand strong words like the verb
burst and adjective dirgelikehelp make the dogs fate at the end of the story become more
distressing, and the writer uses the language expertly with the aim of shaping the readers
reaction so that the ending will have the desired effect of being quite
touching.