Genre
Ethnographical
Setting and Context
Written in the context of comprehending African and Middle Eastern Cultures
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Informative and confident
Protagonist and Antagonist
The narrator and protagonist is Elizabeth Warnock Fernea.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between Fernea and the culture of Afghanistan because when they move there, she is forced to put on an abaya which is a tradition that every woman in the locality must wear. Fernea is also expected to follow the conduct of the local women strictly.
Climax
The climax comes when Fernea learns critical anthropologist skills when she helps her husband research El Nahra women's way of life. Fernea’s husband was not allowed to enter women’s huts, and Fernea played a critical role in helping her husband complete his work.
Foreshadowing
Fernea’s flexibility to coexist with the local women in El Nahra foreshadowed her likability among the locals.
Understatement
Robert underestimated the capability of his wife to help him actualize his research function in El Nahra.
Allusions
The story alludes to the significance of the diversity of different cultures.
Imagery
The imagery of El Nahra village is the most predominant because Fernea describes the way of living, rules governing women their restrictions when interacting with men. The imagery helps readers see the cultural setting of the people of Iraq.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Elizabeth is ordered not to spend much time with her husband in Afghanistan because that contradicts local rules. The irony is that Elizabeth moved with her husband to be close to him most of the time, but the local culture prohibits her from doing so.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Abaya is used as a metonymy for the cultural norm.
Personification
N/A
