Genre
Fictional Novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in the small city of Naxos.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Apprehensive, belligerent, ambitious
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is Helga Crane.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when Helga is looked upon as an exotic creature in her own home. Family members dress her provocatively to gain attention.
Climax
Helga gets converted and seduces the preacher, whom she later marries and settles with him.
Foreshadowing
Helga’s mixed-race background foreshadowed her racial identity crisis.
Understatement
Helga underestimates her ability to accept her race and make a significant change in her life.
Allusions
The story alludes to the identity crises that mixed-race people go through in their lives.
Imagery
Color imagery is used when the author hints that Helga's flight is black. Color is mentioned throughout the book to illustrate sight imagery.
Paradox
The paradox of seclusion is evident when Helga teaches in an all-black school within a predominantly white society in Greece.
Parallelism
Helga's story is parallel to that of the author, who is also from a mixed-race background.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The phrase ‘The Flying Wave of her hair’ refers to Helga’s mixed-race background.
Personification
There is no specific example of personification.
