The War With Grandpa

“Because it is a story about Grandpa and me, silly. Not some made-up thing like on TV.”

Smith connects Peter to postmodernism as his novel plays with truth and fiction. The book is a novel, but Peter presents his story as real, and he uses a simile—a comparison using a connecting word such as “like”—to contrast his real story with the invented narratives on TV. Peter is talking to Jennifer, and the diction—the word “silly”—suggests their playful antagonism.

“This room is MINE. Nobody else in my family ever lived here. Nobody.”

Peter uses all capital letters to reinforce his relationship with his room. He also uses repetition—he repeats “nobody” twice—to drive home the point that the room belongs to him: It’s his territory—his space that he shares with no one.

“Absolutely, positively, one hundred percent no! Spelled N-O!”

Peter uses repetition to highlight his objections to his parents’ plan. He says “no” once, and then he spells it out. His dramatic reaction isn’t an example of effective communication, and neither is his parents’ choice to give Grandpa his room without consulting him.