Just Mercy

Just Mercy Literary Elements

Genre

Memoir; legal procedural.

Setting and Context

Alabama

Narrator and Point of View

The narrator of the memoir is Bryan Stevenson. All events are told from his point of view.

Tone and Mood

The tone is matter-of-fact; the mood is one of intrigue and hope.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Bryan Stevenson is the protagonist; the antagonist is the United States criminal justice system.

Major Conflict

The major conflict is how Stevenson and the EJI will exonerate Walter McMillian and other vulnerable prisoners when the criminal justice system is stacked against them.

Climax

The story reaches its climax when Walter McMillian's case is successfully overturned and he is freed.

Foreshadowing

Understatement

Allusions

Imagery

Paradox

Parallelism

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Personification