Genre
Short story
Setting and Context
The story is set in an upper-middle class British home during the early 1900s.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is narrated by an unnamed third-person omniscient narrator; the point of view stays largely with Nicholas, though occasionally it shifts to his aunt.
Tone and Mood
The tone is comic; the mood is mischievous and laden with irony.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Nicholas is the protagonist; the antagonist is his aunt.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the story is that Nicholas seeks to defy his aunt's authority by using her rules and punishments against her.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when Nicholas returns his aunt's cruelty by using her command not to enter the gooseberry garden as a reason not to bring a ladder to help her out of the rain-water tank.
Foreshadowing
Understatement
Allusions
When pretending that he does not believe his aunt is really his aunt, Nicholas mentions "the Evil One," alluding to the Christian religious figure of Satan.
