Many authors are unable to charm their audience with a mesmerizing story. Most of the time this incompetence stems from the same mistake; the authors are unable to passably use a stylistic device to entice their readers. [In Boy's Life, Robert McCammon beautifully conveys not one, but three superb stylistic devices that immediately captivate his audience.].
When reading Boy's Life, one of the most eye-catching elements is the setting. In general the setting is used to create a mental picture for the reader. McCammon uses this technique to its fullest. Boy's Life is set in the early 1960s in "a place called Zephyr, in south Alabama. It never [gets] too cold [and] its streets [are] shaded with water oaks, and its houses [have] front porches and screens on the windows" (McCammon 3).
Another predominant element to Boy's Life is descriptive imagery. When used the right way, descriptive imagery's vivid details paint a portrait in the reader's mind colorful enough to be real. Robert McCammon uses his wit to make details more than lifelike. "The smell was well you can imagine it. It was a hundred time worse than when the kid in school throws us his morning oatmeal on the desk in front of you" (McCammon 106).
The third component that completes Boy's Life is personification, which is the art of giving human traits to inanimate objects. McCammon personifies many inert objects in Boy's Life, but one in particular stands out. The personification of a bicycle named Rocket is a stunning success. Soon after Cory receives his bike, he learns the bike has a mind of its own and sees "for a brief instant, the golden eye in the headlight" (McCammon 173).
In Boy's Life, Robert McCammon fabulously uses his storytelling power along with three stylistic devices to present his story in such a way that it will be well remembered for years to come.
