The Attack Literary Elements

The Attack Literary Elements

Genre

Fictional novel

Setting and Context

The action takes place in Tel Aviv during present time.

Narrator and Point of View

The action is told from a first-person subjective point of view and the narrator is Dr. Amin Jaafari.

Tone and Mood

The tone and mood are tense.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist is Dr. Amin Jaafari and the antagonist is the suicide bomber.

Major Conflict

The major conflict is between reality and perception.

Climax

The story reaches its climax when the suicide bomber is identified as being Sihem, the main character's wife.

Foreshadowing

The narrator in the prologue of the book is one of the victims who dies as a result of the bombing. The victim describes in great detail the carnage around him as well as the injuries he had. This shocking first scene is also important because it foreshadows the death of other 10 people who were involved in the attack.

Understatement

The narrator begins the novel by claiming there is no closer relationship than the one between a husband and wife and that the two know everything there is to know about one another. This however is proven to be an understatement when it is revealed that the doctor had no idea that his wife was so invested and close to a known terrorist group.

Allusions

The main allusion we find here is the idea that it is impossible to truly get to know a person and that even in the closest relationships there will always be secrets and mysteries.

Imagery

One important image appears after the narrator finds out that his wife was the suicide bomber. At that moment, instead of seeing her as a dangerous terrorist, he remembers a scene in which Sihem was holding their little daughter in their arms and was singing to her. The reason why this image is important is that it shows that Sihem was not only a terrorist but that she was a complex person who should not be judged so easily.

Paradox

The main paradox presented in the story is the idea that Jaafari is treated as a terrorist even though it is clear from the start that he had nothing to do with the attack. What is even more paradoxical is the fact that Jaafari does nothing to change the way in which the public thinks about him even if it affects his career and life.

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

The sirens are used here as a general term to make reference to the idea of danger.

Personification

We have a personification in the sentence "the ground caught me and I could move. All I could do was stare at the carnage around me and watch as the blood rushed from the open wounds to fall on the already dirty floor."

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.