Educated Literary Elements

Non-fiction memoir

The memoir recalls events from 1990 - 2015. Part One takes place in Buck's Peak, Idaho; Part Two takes place in Provo, Utah; and Part Three takes place in England and Massachusetts.

The narrator is author Tara Westover. It is a first-person account.

The tone of the novel is chaotic, sad, and triumphant. The mood is reflective and, at times, melancholic.

Author Tara Westover is the protagonist of the story. By the end of the memoir, the antagonists can be identified as Shawn, Faye, and Gene Westover.

The memoir's major conflict centers around Tara attempting to balance her life at university with her survivalist family.

There is no discernible climax.

When Tara observes Shawn's interactions with his first girlfriend, Emily, the narrator foreshadows that Shaw would later become abusive.

While studying at Cambridge, Tara understates her writing and analytical abilities. Prof. Steinberg calls out Tara's deprecation and encourages her to be more confident.

While Tara studies at BYU, she learns about Caravaggio's painting Judith Beheading Holofernes. While in college, she compares the image to one of a woman beheading a chicken. Tara later recognizes this painting during a museum visit in Rome. In this context, Tara is able to analyze the painting as a work of art rather than simply a religious lesson.

Tara uses startling imagery to illustrate the severity of her fathers burn injuries. In one excerpt, Westover writes that her mother had to "pry [her] father's ears from his skull" using a "butter knife."

Tara has never heard of the Civil Rights Movement or the Holocaust, but she goes on to study history.

Tara draws parallels between individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the erratic behavior of her father.

Westover personifies Buck's Peak by calling a rock formation in the mountain range near their home "Indian Princess." Each time Tara returns home, she feels the Indian Princess grasp her attention and attempt to reel her back to her old life.