Tactical Purpose:
Authors use freight trains or cumulative sentences to connect the reader to the characters or scenario being described in said scene. While very similar to a run-on sentence, freight train sentences are used intentionally to connect many ideas or clauses in one line making it appear as if it is continuous. One example of this is if the character of a story is in a difficult position, and their mind is running. Using this type of sentence forces the reader to read faster and build up emotions before the period is placed. While these can be confused with run-on sentences, the difference between the two is that freight train or cumulative sentences are placed intentionally whereas run-on sentences don't tend to be as intentional.
Authors would choose this type of sentence also to enforce the idea of something happening for a long period of time. Whether it’s the effect that something has on someone or the long-lasting thoughts a character has had, cumulative sentences make it very easy to display that as well as making the readers feel what the characters are feeling in that moment. Overall freight train/ cumulative sentence bring the readers closer to the book and make them more engaged.
Analysis Steps:
Identify the freight train/ cumulative sentence by the sentence length and number of clauses separated by commas.
Contemplate each clause in the sentence and how they connect to the given context.
Consider why the author would use this sentence type in this scenario. Questions to Consider:
- What is the tone of this scene?
- What do you know about this character and their thought process?
Example Analysis
“George was coming down in the telemark position, kneeling, one leg forward and bent, the other trailing, his sticks hanging like some insect’s thin legs, kicking up puffs of snow, and finally, the whole kneeling, trailing figure coming around in a beautiful right curve, crouching, the legs shot forward and back, the body leaning out against the swing, the sticks accenting the curve like points of light all in a cloud of snow.”
Hemingway, Ernest. In Our Time. Boni & Liveright, 1925
The length and number of clauses in this section signify that it is a cumulative sentence. Each part of this sentence is discussing the actions that the character (Geroge) is taking and describes the scene he is in. In this scenario, the cumulative sentence can help make the reader understand the environment almost the same way the character is. By forcing you to read it faster you are meant to be experiencing all of this similar to real-time. Phrases like “..one leg forward and bent, the other trailing, his sticks hanging like some insect’s thin legs, kicking up puffs of snow..” help the reader create a quick image in their head of what George is seeing and doing.
Using the cumulative/ freight train sentence structure sets a very imaginative but slightly rushed tone. The sentence being rushed is very intentional, again, to make the reader experience this scene in real-time. It is similar to if George was explaining his experience to you in a conversational context, making it easier to comprehend and less dense. It’s meant to be easier for the brain. This sentence structure makes understanding the main idea of this moment simpler.
Bianca P