Genre
Science fiction
Setting and Context
America and Mexico in the 1950's.
Narrator and Point of View
William Lee, in the first-person.
Tone and Mood
The tone is of hope and discovery; the mood is tense and uncertain.
Protagonist and Antagonist
William Lee is the protagonist; drug addiction is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when William Lee begins his journey from America to Mexico, in order to escape the police who are chasing him.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Lee reaches the market and finds out that Black Meat is sold there.
Foreshadowing
William Lee's reliance on drugs is foreshadowed by his poor upbringing, and the examples that his mother set.
Understatement
The struggle for drug addicts to seek help is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the strong power that the government has over its inhabitants, through its use of the police.
Imagery
The images of violent orgies as a means for William Lee to escape his reality are present in the novel.
Paradox
The denial of the existence of O'Brien and Hauser when William Lee makes his phone call to the police is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the struggle of Lee to seek help and the poor life that he ends up living as a result.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
