In constructing his 1965 short story "The Rockpile," James Baldwin utilizes imagery, symbolism, and vernacular in the dialogue as tools to deliver themes revolving around family dynamics.

Baldwin incorporates strong imagery of the urban setting in which John, Roy and their family and neighbors live. It is mid-century New York, and people live closely packed in multi-story apartment houses. John and his half-brother Roy spend time on the fire escape where they watch small and large dramas of urban life play out while their mother and younger siblings stay indoors and Roy's father, Gabriel, goes work to support the family.

The rockpile—and the scuffles that take place on it—is not only a strong image, but also a symbol. It is a place where urban boys can blow off steam, explore what it is to be a boy and challenge themselves socially, physically, and psychologically. It is an inhospitable place, not a nurturing place, and it is significant that John tries to avoid it as much as Roy seeks it. Because of the rockpile, readers understand that Roy is the risk-taker and his father's favorite, which makes John a sympathetic character.

To lend realism to the story, Baldwin writes dialogue among the characters in the vernacular of the time and place. For example, Elizabeth asks Gabriel, "is you got money to be throwing away on doctors?" Elizabeth, Gabriel and Sister McCandless all speak a Southern-inflected dialect common in communities who have roots in the South; it calls to mind families who came to New York during the Great Migration.