Her character is described as anxious through the author's choice of dialogue in the form of diction, which is "the waves of her [mother's] anxiety sink into my swelling ". The effect of this is to allow readers to establish the narrator's emotions, as well as establish the uneasy tone of the passage and how stressful and important the event of selling the tobacco bales is to his family. Furthermore, it is seen that the narrator feels uncomfortable in the environment in which she is present. This is seen through the numerous dashes and pauses in his thoughts because he has no dialogue within this passage, "wishing we weren't here", the dashes show his discomfort because the thought is prolonged, and therefore more intense and heavy, wishing I could be somewhere else. The effect of the narrator's comfort establishes her role within the family, the reason why she and her sister have no dialogue symbolizes that she has no voice within the family, as well as establishing a hierarchy. The authors use dictation and writing conventions to develop the character of the narrator herself, as well as that of the mother. The narrator's focus on each of his parents is further highlighted