Genre
Historical fiction, adventure
Setting and Context
The setting changes various times throughout the novel, from Willemstad to the Cay.
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Philip Enright
Point Of View: First Person
Tone and Mood
Tone: hopeful, fearful
Mood: suspenseful
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists of the book are Phillip Enright and Timothy.
Major Conflict
Phillip Enright's mother is leaving Curacao Island with him due to the German attack in World War II.
Climax
Phillip's will to survive doesn't let his blindness hold him back. He creates a fire to attract the aircraft that saves him and takes him to a hospital.
Foreshadowing
After getting rescued, Phillip's swearing to find the burial of Timothy foreshadows his returning to the island, the Devil's Mouth.
Understatement
The consequences of war are often understated in the work.
Allusions
The story alludes to the consequences of the Second World War.
Imagery
The sea is portrayed as smooth jelly.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between the survival instinct of humans and nature.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The German submarine is personified and given the ability to die.
