Genre
Semi Auto-Biographical Fiction
Setting and Context
1962 Beaufort, South Carolina, in the context of the military patriarch of the Meecham family returning from active duty in Barcelona
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is a third person narrator and the story is told from Ben Meecham's point of view. Ben is heavily based on the author, Pat Conroy, so although it is technically a third person narrator it is really Ben who is narrating
Tone and Mood
The tone is varied from threatening and combative, to mourning
Protagonist and Antagonist
Ben is the protagonist, his father the antagonist
Major Conflict
There is constant conflict between Ben and his father whom Ben feels to be too militaristic in his role as a dad. Ben yearns for his father's love and there is conflict within himself as well as he goes from hating his dad to wanting to please him. One major area of conflict is over his dating the daughter of one of Bull's friends, who doesn't want to date Ben any more than he wants to date her.
Climax
Bull is killed in a plane accident and Ben realizes that he actually didn't hate his father at all but loved him in a complicated way that he could never understand.
Foreshadowing
Lillian Meecham's behavior changes as her husband's homecoming nears. The fact that she becomes more anxious and less sensitive towards her children foreshadows the way in which everyone in the family changes when Bull returns to them.
Understatement
Bull is described as a bully which is actually a huge understatement since he treats his children as if they are military recruits and is blatantly sadistic and mean.
Allusions
The author alludes to the upcoming war in which the US becomes involved. This allusion to the feelings of the community at the time also show that the novel is based on fact and written from the Conroy's own perspective.
Imagery
The author paints beautiful visual images a father who is dressed in military attire and who is barking orders at his children, enabling the reader to visualize him as a combative authoritarian in his uniform with his kids standing by their beds saluting. This is the picture that is painted by the vivid images of his father's behavior and demeanor.
Paradox
The main paradox is within Ben as he believes that he hates his father but realizes that he actually deeply loves him, and also with the fact that the more cruel and sadistic his father's treatment of him comes, the more he wants to please him,
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Ansley and Ben in that both are being "set up" on a date by their fathers and neither wants to go on the date.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The town is used to describe the people who live there, The town is attributed actions that imply all the people move, think or do things as one.
Personification
No examples of personification in the novel
