The Tales of the Argonauts Literary Elements

Collection of stories

19th century California

-Narrator is an active character in some of the stories, at times speaks to the reader
-Third and First person point of view

Tone: objective
Mood: humorous, cynical

Each story has its own different characters. In the story of Wan Lee the protagonist is Wan Lee, antagonist is the entire system of hatred for his race.

In the story An Episode of Fiddletown major conflict is Carry being taken away from Clara the poet.

In the story An Episode of Fiddletown climax is Carry returning to Clara after more than ten years.

In the story Wan Lee, the Pagan the baby Wan Lee being born from beneath a handkerchief foreshadows the way he dies at the end. The narrator comes to see his dead body in the same place he was born and the body is covered with cloth.

In the story Baby Sylvester narrator understates the miners' warning that he can play with Sylvester's baby in the cabin. The narrator doesn't realize what he's getting himself into and what kind of baby they are talking about.

Allusion to the story from the Bible about Anakim in the story The Rose of Tuolumne: "sons of Anak"

In the story The Rose of Tuolumne there is imagery of colors while Jenny is watching the night transition into day.

"That the "Fool" should gamble seemed eminently fit and proper."

How Old Man Plunkett Went Home:
"It was misspelled; it was unpunctuated; it was almost illegible; it was fretful in tone, and selfish in sentiment."

The Fool metonymy in the story The Fool of Five Forks

Personification of the moon:
"And even thus quietly the day wore away; and the night rose slowly from the valley, and overshadowed the mountains with purple wings that fanned the still air into a breeze, until the moon followed it, and lulled every thing to rest as with the laying-on of white and benedictory hands."