Genre
Autobiography / Memoir
Setting and Context
California, early 1970s
Narrator and Point of View
Firoozeh Dumas from her own point of view
Tone and Mood
Happy and entertaining
Protagonist and Antagonist
Firoozeh is the protagonist. The Iranian Revolution, which changed things for Iranians in America, is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
Firoozeh's mother in law is perpetually in conflict with her son for marrying her and it seems that most of his family are in conflict with each other.
Climax
Firoozeh's wedding is the climax of the book and her family's life in America.
Foreshadowing
After the Iranian Revolution, there seemed to be a shift in the perception of Iranians and this foreshadowed the difficulty Kazeem would have in finding a job as nobody wanted to employ Iranians.
Understatement
Uncle Nematollah believed he had gained a little weight which was an understatement as not one piece of his clothing fit him.
Allusions
Firoozeh says she got stick with the King Kong of all sleeping bags alluding to the extreme size of the item.
Imagery
My Christmas kitchen smells of ginger, chocolate, and cinnamon. In my childhood kitchen, Nowruz smelled of cardamom, roasted pistachios and rose water. And in every Iranian living room, the sweet scent of hyacinths trumpeted the arrival of Nowruz and the beginning of spring.
Paradox
Firoozeh wants to maintain her Iranian culture but wants to escape it too, which she does temporarily by going by the Westernized name of Julie
Parallelism
There was a parallel between Firoozeh and Francoise when it came to religion as both were secular and did not carry out the traditions of their religion but preferred to keep the traditions of their culture.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The class was staring at Firoozeh and her mother - meaning that all of the individual students were staring.
Personification
Firoozeh expected Noelle's bosom to break free and watch the parade with them, attributing free will to Noelle's breasts
