The Writing Style of Trouble Ben Metcalfe 8th Grade

Most people do not focus on the writing style of a novel and tend to pay more attention to the broader contours of the story line. When reading Gary Schmidt’s Trouble, the reader should pay attention to writing style because it is different from most other writers in many ways. The author pays more attention to the artful writing of the novel rather than the story line alone, making the reader have to think more about what they are reading to understand what is happening. Gary Schmidt has a unique writing style because he uses a prominent motif with the word Trouble, along with a separate story in italicized font that when finally put all together is understood, and each character’s personality has a role in changing the tone of the story.

When the basic setting of Henry’s life is being explained early in the novel, Gary Schmidt says that “Henry Smith’s father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you” (Schmidt 1). The motif of Trouble is shown in the beginning, which introduces the reader to how important this is to the Smith family. It also is the start of an essential part of how Henry makes his decisions. When Henry explains why he is climbing Katahdin to Thaddeus...