Genre
Young Adult Fiction, Mystery
Setting and Context
Orlando, Florida
Narrator and Point of View
Narrated by Quentin Jacobsen in first person.
Tone and Mood
Coming-of-age; ironic; philosophical; humorous.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Quentin Jacobsen. The antagonist could be said to be Margo Roth Spiegelman.
Major Conflict
Margo goes missing, leaving behind a series of clues for Quentin and his friends to decipher.
Climax
Quentin tracks Margo down in a "paper town" called Agloe, New York. Margo treats Quentin, Lacy, Ben, and Radar disdainfully, much to their disappointment and outrage. Quentin's false perception of Margo is shattered as he finally sees her true character.
Foreshadowing
The clues Margo leaves behind, such as stanzas from Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," a Woody Guthrie poster, and a spray-painted message on the wall of a strip mall. Margo later claims that these were unintentional, though they all end up leading to her location in New York.
Understatement
The night before she runs away, Margo tells Quentin: "I will miss hanging out with you." At the time, Quentin does not suspect her desire to leave and assumes they will continue to be friends.
Allusions
References to Walt Whitman, Charles Dickinson, Herman Melville, T.S. Eliot, and Sylvia Plath's works.
Imagery
The image of a paper town and its metaphorical significance. To Margo, a paper town is a place whose its inhabitants are one-dimensional and shallow, "burning the future to stay warm" (p.58)
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
Margo's self-discovery occurs at the same time as Quentin's. Both make important realizations about their characters as well as what they truly want in life.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
