Genre
Children's fiction
Setting and Context
Stillwater, Minnesota in the 1930s.
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is funny; the mood is moving.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Mr Popper is the protagonist; the police are the antagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Mr Popper is sent a penguin in a large icebox by Admiral Drake, whom he names Captain Cook.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Mr Popper is sent Greta, another penguin, in the post from an aquarium.
Foreshadowing
The birth of the new baby penguins is foreshadowed by the fact that Captain Cook and Greta mate with each other.
Understatement
The importance of happiness is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the joy that can be found through animals.
Imagery
The imagery of the penguins in the Arctic is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that Mr Popper has no knowledge of penguins, yet raises two of them is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the kindness of Mr Popper and the sadness he feels when he lets the penguins go in the wild.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
