Genre
A short story
Setting and Context
The events of the story take place in Great Britain in the 1900s.
Narrator and Point of View
The short story is written from the third-person point of view and told by the third-person limited narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is thoughtful, for Elizabeth has a lot on her mind. The mood is grim and uneasy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Elizabeth Bates is both a protagonist and an antagonist. She has an inner conflict.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is person vs. self, because Elizabeth has to find an answer to the question of who she is.
Climax
Walt’s death is the climax of the story.
Foreshadowing
She seemed to be occupied by her husband. He had probably gone past his home, slunk past his own door, to drink before he came in, while his dinner spoiled and wasted in waiting.
This quote shows that the family has problems and foreshadows the future events.
Understatement
It’s nothing, I tell you, what are you bothering for?
Elizabeth doesn’t tell the children about their father’s death right away. She says that he is drunk to make them stop worrying.
Allusions
The story alludes to the pub named the “Prince of Wales” which is a common name for a pub. There are many of them that are named the “Prince of Wales” in the UK.
Imagery
There are imageries of a night and a chrysanthemum.
Paradox
I have been fighting a husband who didn’t exist.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The house was quiet. (This is example of synecdoche in which the house represents the occupants.)
Personification
The little engine strained and groaned.
