Genre
Drama
Setting and Context
1960s, Mississippi, U.S.
Narrator and Point of View
Each story has its own narrator, mostly omniscient
PoV keeps changing with the story
Tone and Mood
Tone is sombre. Mood remains mostly sad.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is usually a woman of color with a problem in her life. The people around her influenced by racism and patriarchal values are the antagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict lies with the women trying to live a peaceful life, which becomes difficult due to their color and status.
Climax
In 'the Child Who Favored Daughter', the tension escalates to maximum during a scene in which the father mutilates his daughter for having a relationship with his white boss.
Foreshadowing
In 'the Revenge of hannah Kemhuff', Tante Rosie predicts that Sarah Saddle will die in six months after Mrs. Kemhuff dies, which proves to be true.
Understatement
Ruel often understated his wife's writing talent and tried to distract her with thoughts of a baby, while her works were published by Mordecai Rich
Allusions
Constant allusions to tribal African religious practices is made.
Imagery
Imagery of Southern farms is strong where racism was most prevalent, particularly in stories like 'The Flowers'.
Paradox
In 'the Revenge of Hannah Kemhuff', Tante Rosie popularizes her as a witch who could make people fall to their deaths using magic, but Sarah Marie dies as a result of a placebo effect of fear of having witches lose on her.
Parallelism
All the stories have an element of love, where men do not appreciate the women for who they are.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
NA
Personification
In the story 'The child Who favored Daughter', the gun father uses is cradled like a baby, signifying how violence is the actual offspring of racism.
