Genre
African-American literature
Setting and Context
Hospital in Connecticut, in the present-day
Narrator and Point of View
Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character in the novel.
Tone and Mood
The tone is powerful and moving; the mood is tense and sad.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Ruth is the protagonist; The Bauers are the antagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Ruth is instructed not to touch a baby that belongs to a couple who are white supremacists, as she is an African-American nurse.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Ruth is arrested and is charged with the murder of the baby, who died in her care.
Foreshadowing
The death of the baby is foreshadowed by the fact that Ruth was specifically told not to touch it.
Understatement
The role of race in our modern society is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the changes made to civil rights in America, and whether equality has been truly reached.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
The fact that the white supremacist couple want their baby to be cared for, yet don't allow Ruth to touch it is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the treatment that Ruth receives and the treatment that the African-American slaves received.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The lack of justice in society is personified through the death of the baby.
