Genre
Dystopian Fiction
Setting and Context
The action takes place 300 years in the future in the fictional country of Illéa.
Narrator and Point of View
America Singer, first-person
Tone and Mood
Tragic and romantic
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is America and the antagonist is the monarchy.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs within America herself as she struggles to accept herself and her position in the world. A secondary conflict occurs between the state and its unhappy subjects, particularly rebel groups. Another secondary conflict is that between America and Celeste as they compete for the prince's attention.
Climax
The story reaches its climax as rebels infiltrate the castle after America kisses Aspen for the first time. The violent conflict between guards and rebel groups mirrors the conflict within America herself as she struggles over her decision to reignite her connection with Aspen.
Foreshadowing
The next two novels in the series are foreshadowed repeatedly throughout The Selection. Prince Maxon's future of challenging the regime he grew up in is foreshadowed by his relationship with America and his establishment of a food-scarcity program in order to combat hunger in the lower castes.
Understatement
America often understates Maxon's affection for her, even though he is clear about how much he loves her. America struggles to believe that she has truly captured the prince's heart due to the fact that she still loves Aspen and thinks poorly of herself.
Allusions
As America roams the palace, she sees many allusions to the country's past, including portraits of prominent American leaders and the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. This works to demonstrate that while the public is kept in the dark about their history, those in the palace are afforded access to some of it, even if it is only those parts that were elite enough to survive generations of power struggle.
Imagery
Paradox
America continually refers to the caste system and the Selection process as a cage, but later comes to think of this cage as something that might afford her freedom in an inadvertent way.
Parallelism
A parallel is drawn between Aspen and America's stories, as they are able to ascend out of their low castes by sacrificing their freedom to the state.
