Genre
Collection of short stories
Setting and Context
Written in the context of handling the effect of dysfunctional families
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is thoughtful, and the mood is insightful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Earl Middleton.
Major Conflict
In the story ' Rock Springs, the major conflict is between Earl and his girlfriend, Edna. Edna leaves Earl and his daughter stranded in the middle of nowhere when their car breaks down. Edna thinks that Earl does not love her.
Climax
The climax comes in the story 'Communist', in which Les's mother reminds Glen of the significance of keeping civilization alive.
Foreshadowing
The separation between Edna and Earl in 'Rock Springs' is foreshadowed by Earl's habit of breaking the law.
Understatement
Earl's shady criminal record is understated in 'Rocks Spring.'
Allusions
The story ‘Communist’ alludes to the significance of keeping evolution alive.
Imagery
The description of Jackie's father fishing habits in the story 'Great Falls' creates visual images of Judith River Basin, thus appealing to the sense of sight to readers.
Paradox
The main paradox is the willingness of Bobby to surrender in the story ‘Sweethearts.’
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Civilization in the story ‘Communist’ is used as a metonymy for living things.
Personification
N/A
