Genre
Memoir
Setting and Context
Set in the 1960s
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood are nonaligned
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Mark Doty.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that while growing up, Doty is confused about his sexual identity because he feels that he is more feminine. Therefore, he behaves like a girl and admires wearing girl's clothes.
Climax
The climax comes when Mark becomes a teenager and discovers that he is gay and not ashamed of it.
Foreshadowing
Her troubled marriage foreshadows Sally's decision to be a prostitute after her husband went for a younger woman.
Understatement
The effects of alcoholism are understated. When Mark’s mother becomes an alcoholic, she is always intoxicated.
Allusions
There is an allusion to sexual identity throughout the text.
Imagery
The imagery of homosexuality paints a picture of the feelings of gay people. When Mark discovers that he is gay, he is not ashamed of his attraction to men.
Paradox
The paradox of Christianity is evident in the book. Sally's first husband is a Christian, but his actions are hypocritical.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Alcoholism is a metonymy for self-destruction and intoxication.
Personification
N/A
