Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
Set in 1943 on Christmas day in a small fictional town
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is apprehensive and the tone is gloomy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is George Pratt, and the Antagonist is Arthur.
Major Conflict
George and Arthur have a major conflict because they date the same woman.
Climax
The climax comes when George discovers life, family, and friends are the greatest gifts.
Foreshadowing
George’s desire to commit suicide is foreshadowed by depression.
Understatement
George understated the magic of the satchel given to him by the shabby little man.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The description of Christmas Eve by George depicts sight imagery. George says that on Christmas Eve, the town was characterized by cheerful colored light, but he was not in high spirits because of depression. The water down the bridge was dark and swirling.
Paradox
While George is standing at the bridge, he does not expect to meet anyone who knows him. Ironically, a shabby little man comes and calls him by name. The young man tells him all his problems, and George is shocked that a stranger can know everything about his life.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between George’s urge to commit suicide and his conflict with life.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The dog, Brownie, is personified when George’s father says he hates strangers.
