The sentences in the story are deceptively simple, and the narrator relates climatic events in a detached, matter-of-fact tone that belies the darker elements of the woman’s despondency. This line describes a shocking moment in terse neutrality: “After supper several nights later, she hit the child” (250). This understated style recurs in other lines, like “She got herself upstairs and locked the door” (250) and “The weeping child had run to hide” (250), each of which describe harrowing moments with minimal pathos, mirroring the woman’s growing detachment and deadened senses. The simple sentence structure suggests that the family desires to maintain the normalcy of a fairy-tale narrative rather than delve deeper into the woman’s condition or acknowledge the severity of their dysfunction.

In contrast to the short sentences are occasional run-on sentences and abrupt syntax that reveal the women’s agitated state. Following a long list of the girl’s jubilant talents, Godwin writes, “She washed and set the mother’s soft ash-blonde hair and gave her neck rubs, offered to” (251). Again, the syntax reflects the woman’s emotional status, with the curt last two words conveying her hostility as she refuses the girl’s help.