Genre
Fiction; novel
Setting and Context
Cloudstreet in Perth between 1943 and 1953
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is moving; the mood is powerful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The Pickles are the protagonists; the Lambs are the antagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when both the Pickle family and the Lamb family escape from their homes in rural Australia, to move to a shared house in Perth.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when the families realise how different they are, as the Lambs are devout Christians, while the Pickles aren't.
Foreshadowing
The binding of the two families is foreshadowed by the fact that they share everything so become close.
Understatement
The role of finding hope and preserving is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the conquering and defeat of barriers that divide us.
Imagery
The imagery of a chaotic household is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that the two families are so opposite, yet live in the same house is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The kitchen table is a metonym for the shared experiences between the families.
Personification
N/A
