Genre
African-American Folklore
Setting and Context
The book is written in the context of vibrant black culture.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Informative, intriguing, fascinating
Protagonist and Antagonist
Zora Neale Hurston is the protagonist and narrator of the book.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when one of the characters murders the devil, and paradoxically he is denied access to both heaven and hell.
Climax
The climax came when a slave called John ingeniously conquers his master to find his freedom.
Foreshadowing
Hurston's successful collection of African-American Folktales is foreshadowed the massive initial funding she received.
Understatement
The sexual relationships of the author are understated. The romance was not all about sex and union, but Hurston used that opportunity to get different stories from her partners, which enhanced her collection.
Allusions
The story alludes to African-American culture in the USA and how it evolved and diminished with time.
Imagery
Hearing imagery is depicted in the book when the narrator says that she heard about the toe-party. The narrator says, “Ah always like to be good as my word, and Ah just heard about a toe-party over to Wood Bridge tonight, and Ah decided to make it."
Paradox
Paradoxically, instead of Hurston focusing on her mission of collecting folktales, she starts sexual relationships with various men in the process, and she justifies her actions.
Parallelism
Sexual romance parallels Hurston’s daily life.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The 'toe-party' refers to the folktale spring for Hurston. For instance, clubs and parties were the most important places where the narrator collected most of her tales.
Personification
The local bars are personified as the folktale providers for the narrator.
