Genre
A novel
Setting and Context
The events of the story are based on the execution of the a-bomb spies, the Rosenbergs. It is also a satire on the Cold War.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is mostly told from the first point of view. Vice President Richard Nixon is the narrator.
Tone and Mood
Tone is variable, it varies from agitated to calm, from sad and exhausted to cheerful. Mood varies between amused and sympathetic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Richard Nixon is the protagonist of the story, while the Phantom is viewed as the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is the war between the sons of Light and sons of Darkness. According to Uncle Sam, those who support the Phantom are evil and should be destroyed.
Climax
The execution of the Rosenbergs is the climax of the story.
Foreshadowing
The prologue foreshadows the events of the story, for the author gives a detailed report on the Rosenberg’s case in it.
Understatement
What do common people care about tidelands disputes or wars in Asia?
This example is supposed to show how unimportant military conflicts really are if they take place somewhere far away from us.
Allusions
The novel alludes to the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Vice President Richard Nixon, Joe McCarthy, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and many other politicians, scientists, movie actors and just famous people of that time.
Imagery
Imagery is used prominently, especially in the scenes which depict Richard Nixon fantasizing about Ethel Rosenberg.
Paradox
Columnist Leonard Lyon’s report recently in the New York Post that they were actually anti-Semites at heart.
The paradox is that the Rosenbergs are Jews.
Parallelism
No gain without pain.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
An international crisis develops, and America seems unable to do anything about it. (America is synecdoche, which stands for the U.S. government)
Roy Cohn, Joe McCarthy’s right-hand man. (A right-hand man is metonymy, which stands for personal helper).
Personification
History calls.
