What is the writing style of "Goodbye, Sweetwater"?

Henry Dumas’s short story “Goodbye, Sweetwater” is written in the third person and past tense. We are shown the events that occur leading up to Layton's departure from his grandmother's house for New York City, where his mother lives, and they are relayed to us by a narrator who is able to describe them from Layton's point of view. What is interesting in this story is that although the events have happened and the outcome is therefore certain, we are allowed to witness them as they happen so that we and Layton don't know how they will unfold or what the end result will be.
Dumas effectively uses a great deal of metaphor and description in the story. He uses landscape and color to symbolize the oppression of Layton, his family, and his neighbors, but nowhere is this more effective than when Layton refers to Yul Stencely as the “whiteman” rather than the more commonly used term “white man.” Dumas uses the restructured title to suggest that Mr. Stencely is not so much a person as a job title (a representation of the system that oppresses them) or perhaps even a different species.
Aside from Layton's feelings about Mr. Stencely, his feelings in general are ambiguous and confused. He knows that he needs to leave but at the same time believes that he will be abandoning his grandmother if he does. Layton struggles with guessing whether the sweet water will reappear or disappear for good and thinks to himself that things aren't that much better up north. The narrator allows us to see his struggle as he tries to decide what his role will be in relation to the people around him. It isn't until he considers his own wishes and desires that he finds the conviction to choose:

Even if his mother sent a ticket, it would mean nothing unless he wanted to leave. His grandmother would not drink sulfur water unless she had to and he knew that as long as there was sweet water coming out of the ground, she would be strong.

In this moment, Layton finally begins to understand the source of his grandmother's strength and realizes that this strength is within him as well: “if he climbed the tree . . . he knew he would not fall.”