Tan- Tan and the Rolling Calf By Nalo Hopkins

            The use of language is hugely important in this short story and sets the tone and imagery for the short story. Ones the dialect and use of grammar was established I couldn’t help but imagine a world that appears like a twist on the Deep South.  The place where Tan- Tan hides out in, the bush, even sounds southern mixed with Australian landscape. Also the use of the bandit and robber gives a western feel. It is just with the monster (the rolling calf) and the statement about coming into this world “Then he grab his little girl and flee through plenty dimension veil” it doesn’t seem like an unattainable idea of a place.  The background of the main character is also a very human one with a young strong woman rebelling against her murdering rapist father and having the stepmother not really want to comprehend.  I really enjoyed the dialogue here particularly the monologue that Tan- Tan gives. This allows the reader to feel her strength and then also have insight into her thoughts and how she is struggling to live up to her legend wile also being pregnant which profoundly demonstrates her humanity. And it is hard to be larger than life when she is dealing with such a set back physically. Overall a very fluid read that demonstrated a powerful female protagonist.