Genre
Literary Realism
Setting and Context
Present day America
Narrator and Point of View
Ian Bedloe
Tone and Mood
Depressive, Redeeming
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Ian Bedloe, Antagonist: Guilt and angst
Major Conflict
Ian Bedloe tells his brother that his wife is having an affair, which causes him to commit suicide. Then the wife commits suicide. It is then revealed that his assumption of the affair was wrong.
Climax
Ian Bedloe finds redemption.
Foreshadowing
The way Danny and Lucy interact foreshadows that the belief the affair will crush them.
Understatement
The affair is understated, as it leads to the death of two of the main characters.
Allusions
The reader might have allusions to the bible, specifically the story of the begotten son.
Imagery
The image of Ian taking care of Danny and Lucy's children is important, as it is what he believes redeems him.
Paradox
“Is there redemption?” Is the question Ian repeatedly asks himself and is trying to find out, as he quarrels with the notion of his own innocence.
Parallelism
Parallel lines can be drawn between Ian before and after the death of his brother and sister-in-law, as their deaths drastically change him.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
