A dash for the finish

A dash for the finish

An Analysis of Dashes in Patry Francis' The Orphans of Race Point

By Samantha M.

    A dash, by definition, is a mark of punctuation  (—), technically known as an em dash, used to set off a word or phrase after an independent clause or to set off a parenthetical remark (Nordquist). The use of this mark of punctuation can be observed in many popular works of literature. In the novel, The Orphans of Race Point by Patry Francis, the dash appears repetitively throughout the dialogue.

    The Orphans of Race Point is the story of a young boy named Gus, who was made an orphan when his father killed his mother right before his eyes. Soon enough, a girl named Hailee, who had also lost her mother when she was young, came along to try and help break Gus out of his shell. She succeed in doing so and Gus became charismatic and popular. After a huge fallout, Gus turns towards faith and becomes a priest. After settling down with his profession and new found faith, Gus meets a mysterious woman that turns his whole world upside down. Then began the mission of Hailee and a pastor to vindicate Gus.

    When reading the dialogue throughout the novel, there are multiple sentences in almost every conversation that stop short  and their endings are completed with the use of a dash. I believe that the author's excessive use of this type of punctuation can only have one explanation. I view it as a way to show the dramatic aspect of their conversations.

    The dash is not an uncommon occurrence in writing, but it is not generally not used as often as it is in Francis' novel. This piece was my first exposure to such a technique, but I thought it was helpful to the establishment of the mood. I will keep in mind this sentence structure when writing in the future.

Sources Cited

http://grammar.about.com/od/d/g/dashterm.htm