Genre
Nonfiction
Setting and Context
There is no setting as it is a nonfiction book.
Narrator and Point of View
Hurston narrates the book in the third-person.
Tone and Mood
The tone is challenging; the mood is dramatic and tense.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Hurston is the protagonist; racism is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the book occurs when Hurston begins her series of interviews with Cudjoe Lewis.
Climax
The climax of the book is reached when it is revealed that Lewis is presumed to be the last living survivor of the slaves who endured the Middle Passage.
Foreshadowing
The involvement of African people in the actual slave business is foreshadowed by the fact that many were poor.
Understatement
The role of perseverance is understated throughout the book.
Allusions
The book alludes to the life of a slave in the Middle Passage.
Imagery
The imagery of brutal suffering is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that African people helped with the slave trade is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Lewis' experience in the Middle Passage and the treatment of millions of slaves.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
