Krista Smathers on "Aurora"

The techniques used in this story range from colloquial dialogue to colorful figurative language which lend themselves to the deep, yet naive tone of the story.  The subject matter of the story demands that the author use the dialectic language of drug users, and this aspect of his writing causes the story to be more realistic in its character portrayal.  The lack of quotation marks gives the dialogue a flow with the narration, making the narrator and other characters sometimes unidentifiable.  These tactics are juxtaposed with his use of analogies and passionate language to illustrate the depth of observation going on in the narrator's mind.  The narrator occasionally makes philosophical asides that carry with the depressed representation of his life such as, "If something inside of me is saying no, why do I say, Yeah sure?"  His realization of the little "no" voice in his head seems to set him apart from the rest of the characters in the story such as Aurora and Cut who remain fairly one-dimensional and one-track-minded throughout the story.