Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Set in South Africa
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is cautionary, and the mood is mystifying.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Amor.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between Salome and Manie. Manie refuses to honor his promise of gifting Salome a house.
Climax
The climax comes when only Amor becomes the only survivor in Swart's family due to her firmness that the house should be given to Salome should as promised. After forty years, Amor gives Salome the house and the family curse is lifted.
Foreshadowing
The mysterious deaths that occur at the interval of ten years in Swart's family are foreshadowed by Manie's failure to honor his wife's plea to gift Salome a house on the farm.
Understatement
The consequences of failing to honor a promise are understated in the text. Besides the mysterious deaths, the Swart's family is cursed.
Allusions
The story alludes to the significance of honoring promises made.
Imagery
The hearing imagery is depicted when Amor overhears her parents’ discussion over gifting Salome with a house within the farm after Rachel dies.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Manie fails to honor his wife's request to gift Salome a house on the farm. After Rachel's death, Manie decided to dishonor his wife and failed to promise.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between the Swart family's tragedy and daily rejection to respect promises.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The house given to Salome is personified as the redeemer.
