13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl Literary Elements

Fiction

There are various times and places used in the novel but the common thread is the context; every chapter of the book is in the context of Elizabeth's status as an overweight woman.

The point of view is that of Elizabeth as she is the main character; however, the title of the novel suggests that the point of view is that of the reader as we are the ones "looking" at the fat girl.

The tone is alternately sad and depressing, and then motivational and finally triumphant.

Elizabeth is the protagonist; her weight is the antagonist.

There is conflict within Elizabeth as to whether she really wants to lose weight, or whether she is only trying to be thinner because of a social or health reasons.

At the end of the book there is a fire at the gym which reminds Elizabeth that she can do anything she puts her mind to and that she does not have to be a certain fitness level or body shape to do it.

Any time that Elizabeth is going through sadness or difficulty the events foreshadow her return to over eating.

Beth considers her mother to be "overweight" but this is a major understatement as her mother is morbidly obese and dies because of the complications of her size.

N/A

N/A

The relationship between Elizabeth and Tom is a big paradox; when she is fat, she is in a relationship with Tom and hopes that he will not notice how overweight she really is. She feels grateful that he loves her despite her size. The paradox is that Tom is attracted to Elizabeth because of her size, and she discovers him watching porn movies featuring obese women after she herself has lost weight.

There is a parallel between Elizabeth's size and the way in which she views herself as a person.

The health club is used to encompass all of its members working out within it.

N/A