Genre
Short story
Setting and Context
India and France during World War I.
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is a third-person narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the short story is ironic but is also sentimental towards the end.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is Helen, and the antagonist is the judgement against her in society.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that Helen fell pregnant out of wedlock.
Climax
The climax of the story is the meeting of Helen and the Gardener.
Foreshadowing
Michael foreshadows his own death when he says that he will die young.
Understatement
Helen understates her own feelings about the fact she has to tell Michael that she is his aunt.
Allusions
The character of Helen and her forgiveness at the end of the story is an allusion to Mary Magdalene.
Imagery
The story contains imagery of war, including the terrible conditions and the huge number of deaths.
Paradox
The gardener knows that Michael is Helen's son, despite the fact Helen introduced herself as Michael's aunt.
Parallelism
The experiences of Helen are paralleled with the experiences of Mary Magdalene in the bible.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
