Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Written in the context of naivety and the archetypal clash between good and malevolence
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Whimsical and enlightening
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Richard Mayhew.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that Richard loses his personality and goes into the London Underworld.
Climax
The climax comes when Richard and Door finally get the special key in the Underworld, which they use in sucking Islington and his assassins. Richard becomes a better person from the Underworld and gets back to his old life, and everything goes back to normal.
Foreshadowing
The encounter with Door foreshadows Richard’s new views about life.
Understatement
The power of the supernatural assassins is understated. When Richard and Door go into the Underworld, they are attacked by the assassins and realize how brutal they are.
Allusions
The story alludes to classical battles between good and evil.
Imagery
The picture of Coraline depicts sight imagery. The author writes, "The homeless girl didn't say anything. She looked bad: pale, beneath the grime and brown-dried blood, and small."
Paradox
The main paradox is that after getting out of the Underworld successfully, Richard accepts to go back when Marquis comes for him.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Rats are personified as speakers
