Genre
Anthology of Short Stories
Setting and Context
The anthology is written in the context of slave life.
Narrator and Point of View
This is a third-person narrative.
Tone and Mood
The tone candid is, and the mood is humorous.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is the conjure man.
Major Conflict
The main clash is in the story 'The Goophered Grapevine." Uncle Julius prevents John from purchasing the old plantation based on the questionable quality of grapevines obtained from the plantation.
Climax
The climax is in the story 'Po Sandy,' in which Uncle Julius does his level best to stop the demolition of the schoolhouse on the agricultural estate.
Foreshadowing
Sis Becky's terrible fortune in life is foreshadowed by her decision not to do something to improve her situation.
Understatement
The historical reality of racism is understated in the book. For instance, the author does not directly tell readers about the suffering of slaves but focuses on conditioned bigotry, which leaves readers to make their own conclusions.
Allusions
The story alludes to slavery and the suffering of the slaves.
Imagery
The images of suffering, slavery, and separation are all over the book. These images play a critical role in painting a picture for readers to see how slaves were forced to work for their masters.
Paradox
The dramatic paradox is discussed in 'Po Sandy', in which the man vows not to lose his wife again to the slave masters. The man turns his wife into a tree during the day and turns her human at night. Ironically, when the man loans his lover to a different plantation, the tree is chopped off! Consequently, the man loses his second wife again.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Conditioned slavery is a metonymy for the intentional blinding of the masses for the benefit of the slave master.
Personification
N/A
