Genre
Autobiographical
Setting and Context
India in the 1960s.
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is hopeful; the mood is tense.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Laila is the protagonist; Zahra is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when both of Laila's parents die when she is only a young girl and she moves to live with her grandfather.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Laila begins to attend college and makes friends with people protesting against the government.
Foreshadowing
The freedom that Laila feels is foreshadowed by her Uncle's liberal beliefs.
Understatement
The importance of standing up for your own beliefs is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the suppression of the people of India in the 1960s.
Imagery
The imagery of violent protests and uprisings is present in the novel.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the strong desires that Leila feels for change and her fierce natured mother.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The troubled Indian citizens are personified through the exploding grenades.
