Genre
A novel
Setting and Context
Post-revolutionary Mexico, state of Tobasco, the 1920s.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narration
Tone and Mood
The tone is mostly sad and oppressive as the story reveals the events of persecutions after the church
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is the priest, and the antagonist is the lieutenant
Major Conflict
The major conflict is in belief in God and what a person can endure for his faith
Climax
The climax occurs when the priest is shot
Foreshadowing
The priest had a bad habit – he liked to drink brandy, and this foreshadows that something awful might happen as when a person has an addiction he might get into trouble because of it, and it really happens, he has been arrested for drinking brandy. Fortunately this time his identity was not revealed, but he was very near death
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The story alludes to the history of how America started a war for its independence. There are allusions to Boston tea party and some other events of that time
Imagery
The imagery is used in descriptions of forests and little villages where the priest finds a refuge sometimes
Paradox
When the priest went to the person who wanted to confess to a priest, he knew that it was a trap, but still went there. He knew he would be caught, but did not even try to get out of this
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“drunk brandy showed its effect”(metonymy for the stranger who has drunk some brandy and after his behavior has changed)
“the detachment returned to the barracks” (synecdoche for soldiers”)
Personification
“The little town was drowning in the mud”
