28 pages • 56 minutes read
William Melvin KelleyA Visit to Grandmother
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1964A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Foreshadowing
“A Visit to Grandmother” uses foreshadowing to help build tension ahead of the main conflict. Chig notices a change in his father’s expression as soon as he greets his grandmother. This subtle detail is a clue to the reader that Charles’s relationship with Eva is not easy. It sets the tone for the conflict and prepares the reader for what is to come. As the story progresses, this foreshadowing is fulfilled as Charles becomes increasingly agitated and eventually confronts his mother about his childhood resentment.
Charles’s scheme to visit home—attending a class reunion and suggesting “in a far too offhand way” to continue traveling south (54)—also foreshadows the family’s communication issues. Even though Charles feels compelled to see his family and seek a resolution, he cannot clearly communicate that desire to Chig. Poor communication litters the story—Charles sits sullenly in the living room during the visit, and Rose cannot say where GL is because he’s always leaving without notice—and Charles’s outburst at the end is the result of decades of miscommunication.
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is employed as a central characterization device in the story. Through the contrast of various opposing elements—such as urban versus rural, neglect versus love, light skin versus dark skin, and exceptional versus reckless behavior—William Melvin Kelley creates complex and nuanced portrayals of his characters and their relationships. By juxtaposing Charles’s past and present life, Kelley highlights the profound impact that familial conflict and estrangement can have on a person’s development and sense of identity. His home in Nashville is a reminder of a painful childhood, while New York is where he leads his current successful life as a doctor and a father. His affection toward his son contrasts with his mother’s dismissal of him as a child. GL, his light-skinned, favored brother and foil, contrasts with him and his darker complexion, and his childlike and unruly behavior clashes with Charles’s kind and well-mannered nature.
Colloquialism
The use of colloquialism is an effective tool to create authenticity and establish a specific tone in the story. Kelley utilizes African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to lend a natural, informal quality to the narration, in a similar fashion to other authors in the Black Arts Movement. AAVE is a distinct dialect of English, characterized by its unique grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Its use strengthens the story’s realism and the characters’ authenticity, creating a feeling that the reader is privy to a conversation between two people rather than a formal presentation of events. Colloquialism also provides insight into the characters’ backgrounds. As Charles moved out of Nashville at an early age and later went on to become a doctor in New York, the way he uses language is no longer the same as his family. His formality is contrasted with his family’s vernacular, which emphasizes his estrangement.
Ambiguity
The plot of “A Visit to Grandmother” is shrouded in ambiguity, posing questions regarding the characters’ true motivations and emotions. The story is told through the perspective of a third-person limited narrator, Chig, who only provides insights into his own thoughts and feelings. Since Chig is not directly involved in the main conflict, this narrative choice advances a sense of uncertainty and adds to tension around the truthfulness of a character’s words. The reader is left to speculate on which character should be believed. Charles’s true intentions for visiting his mother and brother, Eva’s denial of her favoritism, and the story’s ending are all examples of ambiguous events in the story. After the main confrontation, any resolution to the underlying family issues is left unaddressed, mainly due to the ambiguous nature of Charles’s and Eva’s positions.
