Genre
Romantic fiction
Setting and Context
New York during the 1910s.
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is grim; the mood is unsettling.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Charity is the protagonist; Royall is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Charity makes the dramatic decision to change her life and move from North Doomer.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Mr Royall makes his sexual advance on the vulnerable Charity one evening.
Foreshadowing
The rejection of Charity is foreshadowed by her young age and life aspirations.
Understatement
The role of female power is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to life in working-class and upper-class New York at the time.
Imagery
The imagery of the busy industrial environment is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that Mr Royall should be caring for Charity, yet tries to use her sexually is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the hope that Charity has for her future and the love that she shares with Lucius.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
