The use of dialect contributes to a large portion of "A Visit to Grandmother," by William Melvin Kelley. The way in which a character speaks and the words they use is known as the dialect in a story. The use of dialect helps build the characters and setting of a story, but even more, it makes the story more effective.
             Characters are an important element in a short story; therefore they must be fully developed and effective to the reader. Dialect helps in forming a character and gives an indirect description of him. For instance, if a character is sad they would talk in a pessimistic, monotonous way or if a character is bright their speech would contain a varied vocabulary. Take GL as an example, he is a laid back, uneducated, and foolish character and it is shows through the use of dialect. The author made this more effective by having GL use improper speech, like "where he at," and words that an educated person would not use, for example the expression "rascal." In these ways, the use of dialect makes the characters in a story much more effective.
             Another key element in a short story similar to "A Visit to Grandmother" is the setting. The use of dialect helps the reader develop the time period and location where the story takes place. The author would add effectiveness to the story by using the dialect of that time period or location of the story. For example, if the story were to take place in the Medieval era people would use a vocabulary like thou or shall and if a story was placed in an underprivileged urban area you would see the use of slang words and possibly even improper language. Grandmother is an excellent example in this story. When grandmother uses the statement "them white folks'll burn us alive" it indicates that it takes place during a time when African-Americans were de
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