Answer:
It reinforces that the person is slipping towards death.
Explanation:
The words saved, shrunk, shank, and whistles in his sound all describe a man who is losing touch with his previous self i.e his living self. Therefore he is slipping towards death. Hope this helps :)
You can also write: Writing stories in an outlet is what helps Francie avoid telling lies. As stated in lines 143-145, "What was important was that the attempt to write stories kept her straight on the dividing line between truth and fiction." This is all thanks to her teacher's advice.