The War That Saved My Life Literary Elements

Historical Fiction

Set during the Second World War in England.

It is told from the first-person point of view of the protagonist, a ten-year-old girl named Ada Smith.

Tone: Hopeful, Inspiring
Mood: Uplifting, Optimistic

Protagonist: Ada, a young girl living during World War II in England Antagonist: Ada’s abusive mother.

The main conflict is Ada's struggle to overcome her physical and emotional limitations. She has a clubfoot and has been kept in the attic of her home by her abusive mother. She is scared and has no self-confidence. With the help of her brother, Jamie, and her caretaker, Susan, Ada leaves the house and begins a journey of self-discovery. She must face her fears and learn to take risks to find a new life for herself. Along the way, she must also confront the prejudice of others and the realities of war.

The climax of this story occurs when Susan comes to rescue Ada and Jamie from the air raid shelter.

At the beginning of the book, Ada tells readers that she has never been outside, and she never will. This foreshadows that there is going to be a major event that will enable her to leave her tiny apartment. This event is her evacuation during the Blitz.

The protagonist Ada's suggestion that she and her brother Jamie's last name could be Hitler is an example of understatement. This is because she is suggesting a name that is strongly associated with the atrocities of World War II while using a very casual and disinterested tone.

The allusion to the Battle of Britain—an intense aerial battle between the British Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe during World War II.

Imagery is used to describe the feeling of the protagonist riding the horse. She compares the sensation to "flying" and mentions how the horse "leapt in one smooth bound" over the wall. She also describes the horse as having a "beautiful shiny coat" and "long elegant legs", giving the reader a vivid mental image of the animal. The imagery helps the reader to imagine the exhilaration and freedom of riding the horse.

The paradox is that the war that is devastating the world also brings freedom and hope to the protagonist, Ada. Despite the horrors of war, Ada finds a way to escape her oppressive home life and discovers a new life and independence. On the one hand, the war brings destruction and death, yet on the other, it brings freedom and hope to Ada.

The parallelism comes in the form of Ada’s journey from her confined life to her newfound freedom. This journey is paralleled by the physical journey she takes from her home to the village of Kent, where she discovers a whole new life. Her journey of self-discovery is paralleled by the physical journey she takes to find her place in the world. Through this parallelism, the author emphasizes the importance of Ada’s journey and the changes it brings about in her.

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“The wind blew the wisps of hair around my face and made tears come to my eyes, and I could feel its coldness”