The Impossible Knife of Memory Literary Elements

The Impossible Knife of Memory Literary Elements

Genre

Young Adult

Setting and Context

Belmont High, present day

Narrator and Point of View

Hayley

Tone and Mood

Depressed, sad

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist: Hayley, Antagonist: Trish

Major Conflict

Hayley's father is dealing with PTSD.

Climax

Heyley's father decides to kill himself, and Hayley tries to find a way to stop him.

Foreshadowing

Hayley's father killing himself is foreshadowed by the tumbling depression he has.

Understatement

Trish returning to the household is an understated element of the narrative, as it nearly kills Hayley.

Allusions

The reader might discern allusions to other war veteran stories, as that is where author Laurie Anderson drew her inspiration.

Imagery

Hayley letting Finn hold her is an important imagery, as she finally let someone close.

Paradox

"Is life worth living?" is an important paradox in the book that Hayley's father faces every morning he wakes up.

Parallelism

There is a parallel line between Hayley and her father, as he does affect her a lot more than he thinks he does.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

N/A

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