Circling the Sun Literary Elements

Historical Fiction

The book’s setting starts in London and then ends in Kenya. The book is written in the context of adventure and exploration.

Third-person narrative

Adventurers, quixotic, stimulating, enthralling

Beryl Markham is the protagonist of the story.

The conflict is that Beryl Markham is a wild child while growing up because she is experimental. For instance, after she joins boarding school, she hides a poisonous snake beside her bed. Later, she steals a horse and uses it to run away from school.

The climax is when Beryl becomes the first woman in Kenya to be granted a horse training license at 18.

Her experimental behaviour foreshadowed Beryl's promiscuity behaviour because she did not satisfy one man. Therefore, she left one man for the other.

Kenya’s natural beauty is understated. Besides having a unique and inclusive culture, the country has beautiful hills, valleys and wildlife. Therefore, the protagonist finds it difficult to stay in London and opts to settle in Kenya.

The story alludes to life in the post-colonial period and the protagonist's frustrations to discover her purpose.

The imagery of parenting is one of the dominant imageries used by the author in the book. For instance, the description of Beryl's family is perfect sight imagery that helps readers understand why the protagonist is a frustrated young woman. Beryl's parents are separated, and the father is always absent. When Beryl gets her child, she does not love her because she is born with defects. Therefore, poor parenting is evident throughout the text.

The main paradox is that when Beryl escapes her father's brutality and gets married to an older man, she expects love, protection and provision. Ironically, the man is alcoholic, dominating and abusive, making Beryl's life worse than before. At last, Beryl decides to quit that marriage.

The life in London parallels the life of Kenya because no matter how the protagonist desires to go back to England, she decides to settle in Kenya for the rest of her life.

N/A

The horse is personified when the protagonist says that it helped her escape from school.