Genre
Fiction; novel
Setting and Context
New York City in the 1960s.
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is unusual; the mood is powerful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Mr Sammler is the protagonist; the Holocaust is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Mr Sammler survives the Holocaust and moves to New York, where he lectures at Columbia University.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Mr Sammler manages to find the compassion that he lost as a result of the Holocaust.
Foreshadowing
The madness of New York is foreshadowed by the fact that Mr Sammler comes from a very different culture.
Understatement
The role of change is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to what life would have been like for a Holocaust survivor in New York at the time.
Imagery
The imagery of the acceptance of happiness is present in the novel.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the happiness that Mr Sammler manages to find and the delightful people at the university.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The hopeful future is personified through the growing plant in the apartment.
