Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
The Central Registry of Births, Marriages, and Deaths. The novel's events presumably happen in the 1900s and take place in an unidentified city.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is narrated in the third person with an omniscient narrator but follows the life of the only named character in the book: Senhor Jose.
Tone and Mood
The novel is carries an air of mysteriousness to it given that all but one of the characters is named. The actions of Senhor Jose also contribute to this.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The novel blurs the lines between the protagonist and the antagonist. We see Senhor Jose as the main characters. His actions are morally and ethically questionable but we also can understand why he would choose to do what he does. In that sense, he is the main character without the need for a protagonist or an antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the novel occurs when Senhor Jose's actions draw the attention of the Registrar. This results in him neglecting his duties as a clerk to pursue the unknown woman.
Climax
There is no precise climax in the novel. However, there is a heightened sense of tension and suspense that begins when Senhor Jose begins his obsession with the data records of others. This tension and suspense does not let up for the rest of the novel.
Foreshadowing
Senhor Jose's probing into the records of other foreshadows his own activities being probed into when his actions are noticed by the registrar.
Understatement
The nonchalance with which Jose's actions are described understates the significance of these actions. His actions are an outright infringement of privacy and the abuse of his limited power.
Allusions
The actions Senhor Jose undertakes are allusions to the Orwellian nature of society (i.e. the idea that all our actions are constantly being monitored, unbeknownst to us).
Imagery
None
Paradox
Senhor Jose's job is to manage the records of the people in his city. However, he ends up being the subject of management by the registrar.
Parallelism
Senhor Jose's relationship with the unknown woman parallels the relationship of the registrar and himself. In both scenarios, one party has taken an unusual amount of interest in the other.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
None
Personification
The registrar is in a sense a personification of the Central Registry itself.
