Hurston’s writing style in “Spunk” combines both the formal language use of the narrator and the informal vernacular of the characters. The narrator primarily uses literal language and a more refined vocabulary, while the speaking style of the characters includes more idioms, figurative language, and humor. The character Elijah, in particular, functions as an unofficial narrator who spins entertaining tales for his listeners in the general store.
It is notable that the narrator in the story doesn’t stay too close to any one person’s perspective, making it hard for readers to identify a clear protagonist or someone to identify with. Take the following passage, for example, which comes near the beginning of the story when Joe first enters the general store:
Now Joe knew his wife had passed that way. He knew that the men lounging in the general store had seen her, moreover, he knew that the men knew he knew. He stood there silent for a long moment staring blankly, with his Adam’s apple twitching nervously up and down his throat. One could actually see the pain he was suffering, his eyes, his face, his hands and even the dejected slump of his shoulders.
The narrator starts off this passage inside of Joe’s mind, noting how Joe “knew that the men lounging in the general store had seen [Lena]” and then abruptly switches to the perspective of the men in the store who could “see the pain he was suffering [in] his eyes, his face, his hands." This stylistic choice keeps readers from over-identifying with any one character, therefore encouraging them to come to their own conclusions about the social dynamics of the town as a whole.
