The main literary tool that Chopin uses in this story is personification. Chopin personifies the night so that it becomes a character. By giving it human qualities and likening it to a lover, Chopin shows the profound connection between the night and the narrator, which allows the reader to better understand why the narrator is so frustrated with other people. Chopin also gives other natural elements human characteristics. For example, she brings the katydids to life by having them tell the narrator to sleep. She describes them as necromancers, highlighting the divine power of nature.

Ironically, Chopin often takes away human-like characteristics from human characters. For instance, she describes people flitting around the narrator like insects, and she compares them to intangible things. In doing so, she makes the people around her seem like shells deprived of deeper meaning. The juxtaposition between these two tactics makes the night feel more alive.

Chopin uses symbolism to great effect in this short piece, creating multiple layers of meaning in a condensed space. For example, the