Genre
Historical Fiction
Setting and Context
Medieval England in a small village.
Narrator and Point of View
Sarah is the narrator and describes her experiences as an anchoress.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the novel is sombre and reflective.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Sarah, the antagonist is Sir Thomas.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel is Sarah adapting to her new life.
Climax
The climax of the novel is when Sarah's cell is renovated to ensure her further protection.
Foreshadowing
The dangers of childbirth are foreshadowed by Sarah's description of her sister's death.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel's title is an allusion to the little-known Medieval religious practice, in which women would isolate themselves from the world in a single cell.
Imagery
Sarah provides a horrific description of her sister's death, revealing her trauma.
Paradox
Sarah goes into her cell to escape from the world but finds that it is not possible to escape entirely.
Parallelism
Sarah's experiences are paralleled with the previous anchoresses.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Sarah describes how her "cell hugged the church."
