Genre
Philosophy
Setting and Context
This work is Erich Fromm’s attempt to analyze a capitalist society and its flaws.
Narrator and Point of View
The writer and the narrator are the same.
Tone and Mood
Tone is thoughtful whilst mood is slightly worrying, for our future is unclear.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Man is the protagonist whilst capitalism is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is person vs. self.
“Never is he free from dichotomy of his existence.”
This sentence shows the inner struggle of a human being.
Climax
The chapter “Roads to Sanity” is the climax of the work, for it is where the philosopher describes the approaches to healing.
Foreshadowing
The first chapter – “Are we sane?” – foreshadows the plot of the work.
Understatement
“The figures of their leaders only emphasize the great deception. Mussolini, a cowardly braggart, became a symbol for manliness and courage. Hitler, a maniac of destruction, was praised as the builder of a new Germany. Stalin, a cold-blooded, ambitious schemer, was painted as the loving father of his people.”
This example shows how people underestimate the danger of totalitarianism.
Allusions
The text alludes to the myth about Oedipus.
Imagery
The work mostly contains images of society and its realities.
Paradox
“He is set apart while being a part.”
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
“He is part of nature, subject to her physical laws and unable to change them”
