Alice Munro: Short Stories Literary Elements

Short fiction

Face" occurs in Lake Huron, during the World War II epoch. “Wild Swans” transpires in West Hanratty and Toronto.

"Face" is narrated in the first person. "Wild Swans" is told in the omniscient third person.

In "Face," the narrator employs a self-pitying tone. The mood is sympathetic. The tone in "Wild Swans" is cautionary, whereas the mood is full of suspense and apprehension.

The Protagonist in "Face" is the man with a conspicuous birthmark on his face. His father is the antagonist. Rosie is the protagonist in “Wild Swans.” The antagonist is the minster sitting beside Rose on the train; he is unaware that his presence is antagonistic to Rose's innocence.

The conflict in "Face" is attributed to the narrator's struggle with his appearance, attributed to the visible birthmark on one side of his face.
The conflict in "Wild Swans" revolves around Rose's lustful fantasies, which she ought to overcome because Flo had cautioned her before.

The climax in “Face” occurs when Nancy paints a red face that mocks the narrator's appearance.
In "Wild Swans," the climax occurs when Rose fantasizes that her neighbor's hand could be caressing her.

Flo's warning about "minsters"(In Wild Swans) materializes when Rose sits near a man who claims to be "a United Church minister" on the train.

The narrator in “Face” equates himself to “a production like myself was an insult he (his father) had to face every time he opened his own door.” The description in this passage underscores the narrator’s low self-esteem.

“Face” employs a religious allusion by using the word saint in describing characters such as the narrator’s mother.
“Face” appeals to historical allusion by referencing the Second World War and Nazism. Additionally, "slavers" is an allusion to the slave trade in which victims were black-skinned individuals.

"Face" provides imagery of the narrator's parents' marriage, which is not utterly happy.
"Wild Swans" provides imagery of white enslavement. Also, the imagery of "wild swans," which influences the story's title, is vivid.

In "Face," the narrator's parents fall out due to the narrator's birthmark (something the narrator did not contribute to).
According to Flo, in "Wild Swans," individuals "dressed up as ministers… [are] the worst.” The dressing is projected to mislead victims.

In "Face," most of the sentences begin with "I," which underscores that the account is being told in the first person.

In "Wild Swans," Munro uses the term dictionary to allude to Rose's mastery of the English language and its vocabularies.

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