Genre
Autobiographical book
Setting and Context
Set in the early 1970s in Ontario, Canada
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is ardent and the mood is relaxing.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Morag Gunn is the central character of the book.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when Pique, Morag's daughter, leaves a note to her mother that she has gone to trace her father and roots.
Climax
The climax comes after Morag leaves Scotland for pilgrimage. After returning to Canada, she is more self-aware of herself, and she accepts her identity. Similarly, her daughter, Pique, reunites with her, and they make peace.
Foreshadowing
Brook's decision not to have children with Morag foreshadows her relationship with Jules, which resulted in the birth of Pique.
Understatement
Identity crisis is understated in the book. Morgan, her daughter and Jules are all characters struggling with an identity crisis.
Allusions
The story alludes to the significance of understanding oneself.
Imagery
The imagery of national identity is dominant throughout the book. The three major characters, Morgan, Pique and Jules, are all trying their level best to understand their ancestry.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Morag's foster father faked stories that turned out to be helpful to her. For instance, the cooked stories made Morag grow up as a hero and confident to face life with courage.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Pilgrimage is a metonymy for spiritual and personal therapy.
Personification
N/A
